Dark Flame
by child-dragon
Summary: It all boils down to power. Who has it and what is done with it. Now Kiddo must confront the least likely candidate for evil and then journey to the depths of Neopia to bring him back...
1. Introduction

I found a compromise with Felicia about Dark Flame! She's really done a lot to help me get around all those rules my story inadvertently broke. I'll be posting the un-edited version on here as it goes.  Why did I have so much trouble with Dark Flame?  Cars and hybrids are no longer allowed in the Neopian Times.  I find this is rather odd as the NT is our views of Neopia but that's how it goes.  I've written a letter to NeoPets expressing my opinion but I highly doubt anything will come of it.  But anyways, all's well that ends well I guess.

So, without further ado:  Dark Flame.

Above all, we are a family.  Some of us were starting over.  Some of us were starting new.  But we were undeniably a family.

I can't say why fate chose us.  But it did and we had our battle.  There was darkness and evil and despair but through it all we held on to that one white feather.

We assumed we were done after that.  The Shadows were gone and Neopia was saved.  There was nothing left.  We should have looked to within…

There were no heroes this time.  All the boundaries of good and evil, love and hate, were broken.  But in the end it all came down to one thing: we were family.  And no one messes with family.


	2. Light from a Candle

_Above all, we are a family.  Some of use were starting over.  Some of us were starting new.  But we were undeniably a family._

I can't say why fate chose us.  But it did and we had our battle.  There was darkness and evil and despair but through it all we held on to that one white feather.

_We assumed we were done after that.  The Shadows were gone and Neopia was saved.  There was nothing left.  We should have looked to within…_

There were no heroes this time.  All the boundaries of good and evil, love and hate, were broken.  But in the end it all came down to one thing: we were family.  And no one messes with family.

Light from a Candle

I remember watching the clouds out the window one afternoon.  They were scattered and heavy with rain.  As each one passed overhead it brought deep shadows and cut off all light filtering through the trees.  Then it passed and golden sunlight streamed through, turning the trees and grass to gold.  Then another cloud came and shut off all light, slowly creeping across the lawn and devouring the gold.  These two elements warred with each other indefinitely until I lost interest and went elsewhere.  I cannot help but think of those shifting shadows of light and dark as I begin this story.

My name is child_dragon.  Everyone calls me Kiddo though.  It's just easier.  I'm an eighteen year old girl living in a large house in Neopia Central.  It's large because I have four pets and a huge extended family.  We call ourselves the child_dragon clan.  We're a rather tight-knit bunch, and I guess we have to be.  Too much has happened.  Too many sorrows and too many risks.  

            Over a year ago Neopia was threatened by an incredible evil.  I'd rather not recount the entire story… suffice to say you can read it yourself here.  (As Told by child_dragon)  This incident left all of us changed, some more than others.

            I was probably changed the most physically.  I became the Essence of Neopia, that is, Neopia embodied in one person.  All six elements and pet and human.  I have white eyrie wings, a dark blue pteri tail, red scorchio spikes, green uni legs from the mid-calf down, light blue peophin frills just in front of my ears, and black kougra hands.  I carry the Elemental Spear, an ancient weapon of immense power.  In my reddish-brown hair is a streak of pure white, the remnant of destroying the Shadows.  I channeled so much power then… the very power of Neopia itself through me.  I was lucky I survived.

            My pets didn't change as much as me.  Un-eairkagh, my striped eyrie, remains as always.  A jokester, incorrigible, and utterly irresponsible.  He terrorizes everyone with his infernal dark battle duck, squeaking it incessantly around the house.  Thankfully I can just send him out to play with his best friend, Padiglione the baby kougra, when he gets too rowdy.  Un-eairkagh really does care for us all though, he proved that when he caught me as I fell from the sky after defeating the Shadows.  

            My shadowed shoyru Terraile changed a great deal also.  She discovered an ancient legend was real and that she was a direct descendent of the archer NightHawk.  As NightHawk's Heir she came upon possession of a bow that held the strength to open the gateway to the Shadow's realm.  That's not all she inherited.  NightHawk held some deeply buried power within her, all based in darkness.  All that is wrong and evil embodies this magic and unfortunately Terraile now holds that power within herself also.  I hold the power of darkness as Essence but it is balanced out by the light within me also.  Terraile, on the other hand, has only darkness, in her, in her bow.  Somehow she has overcome it so that she controls her power, not her power controls her.  For even evil can be used for good purposes.

            Lady_MoonFall, my island uni, changed mostly sometime during Kingly Game.  She's the calm one of the family and it sometimes seems like she's in charge of the household rather than me.  She used to be a princess but she ran away to live a normal life.  She was a striped uni but changed her color to hide from her brother who is now king.  I think her color change brought out a different side of her personality, the side that throws rules to the wind.  I imagine she's always been a bit rambunctious, her breeding just hides it most of the time.

            The last pet of mine is Aldrai.  He is a spotted zafara for most of the time.  I drug him from a river when he was a baby, after he had witnessed his mother's death.  He is wise beyond his years, sometimes wiser than I.  He managed to bring the circle of hate full circle by forgiving his mother's murderer.  And he has gained something else too.  Magic.  The magic of light.  He rarely uses it, but when he does, he transforms into a Christmas zafara, radiant with power.  I am not sure just how strong a mage Aldrai is but I do know what I have seen of his magic is substantial.  

            The rest of my family is mostly kin and their pets.  My brother, Sabreur, is the mad genius of the family.  His lab blows up weekly.  He lives with his fire scorchio Infernus.  The two are dedicated battlers and devote most their time and energy to it.  My "adopted sister" is Melody.  She's actually my best friend but we're close enough to be sisters.  She has three pets, a faerie gelert named SwiftRiversRunning, a green gelert named FireDarkWolfX, and the baby Padiglione.  Aside from Melody is Sakuko, a younger girl with the rainbow zafara Netsuko.  Aldrai and Netsuko are very close and it is because of them that Sakuko and I are friends.  There's a couple others thrown in there; Drake_da_Dragon with his red shoyru Dralvane and Megz with her shadowed shoyru Dark Night, for example.  The crew is in and out of my house at random points of time.  I've even found people sleeping on my couch in the morning without ever hearing them come in.  Thankfully no one with evil intentions can enter my house.  It's part of a very powerful spell that has been laid on it by a faerie.  Incidentally enough, my story starts in my house for my story starts within the very clan I just described.  I had thought that there was no evil I couldn't handle after the Shadows, that with Neopia behind me nothing could threaten us ever again.  Fate has a sense of irony, it seems.  For the greatest threat to I and Neopia came not from an unknown of source, but from the most unlikely candidate of all.  It came from Aldrai.

            I was upstairs in my room, reading.  I heard someone approaching in the driveway so I hopped off my bed and pulled the shades aside to see Netsuko and Sakuko coming up the drive.  Sakuko is a small girl with brown hair.  Her zafara is rather quiet and has a strong artistic streak.  I hurried down the stairs to let them in.  

            "Hiya," I greeted warmly, "Come on in.  Aldrai is in his room.  Can I get you anything?  NeoCola?"

            "Sure, I'll take one," Sakuko said.

            "No thanks," Netsuko politely demurred and she trotted off to Aldrai's room.

            "Heh.  They're so cute," I murmured as I led Sakuko to the kitchen and rummaged up a couple sodas.

            "I know.  I'm so glad those two are such good friends."

            "Me too," I replied, pulling up a stool to the island in the middle of the kitchen, "Aldrai has always been so reclusive.  It's good for him to have someone to be open around."

            "Same with Netsuko.  Sometimes I worry about her…"

            "I understand that.  I used to worry about Aldrai a lot… with what happened to his mother and all…"

            I trailed off, not wanting to bring up such a distressing topic of conversation.  The past was past, let it be.           

            "So anyways.  I was thinking of doing some shopping today," Sakuko said, politely changing the topic, "Down at Neopia Central.  You like to come?"

            I thought about it for a moment.  Finances around the house were good and I did need to do some grocery shopping.  And besides, I could use a new pair of shorts for the summer.  It was bound to be a hot one this year.

            "Sure, why not.  Let me round up my pets."

            I stood and started to walk out of the room to call everyone down.  As I did, something small and white caught my eye.

            It was a candle.  I'd bought it a couple days ago to freshen up the kitchen.

            "Oh yeah.  Forgot about this," I muttered, and absently gestured.

            The wick burst into a small flame, casting it's light upon the nearby wall.

"Hmm?" Sakuko asked.

            "Nothing.  Just a candle I've been forgetting to light."

            I walked out into the living room and took a deep breath.

            "MoonFall!  Eair!  Terraile!  Aldrai!  We're going shopping, com'n!"

            As expected, pandemonium broke loose.  Terraile literally flew down the stairs and Un-eairkagh and MoonFall nearly collided with each other coming out of their rooms.  Lastly came Aldrai and Netsuko.  I rounded everyone up and grabbed my purse.  I was just about to head out the door with Sakuko when Aldrai stopped us.

            "Hold up a minute," he said, running back into the kitchen, "You shouldn't let this burn while we're gone.  Might burn the house down or something."

            "Oh yeah.  Thanks Aldrai."

            He shrugged and gently blew the candle out.


	3. So Bright

So Bright

            I drove us to the marketplace in what my friends affectionately called 'the big green truck.'  It was a four-wheel drive off road vehicle, quite roomy on the inside, with a standard transmission.  Unfortunately, it only seated five people so two of my pets had to ride in the back, which was just trunk space that connected with the rest of the car.  Un-eairkagh and MoonFall volunteered as the uni had trouble fitting in the seat and Un-eairkagh just liked being different.  

            "And if we get pulled over?" Sakuko asked as she buckled herself into the front seat.

            "Then we get pulled over and I get a ticket," I replied.

            "Alright then."

            She settled back and I tried to ignore the bickering that was starting up in the backseat.  Aldrai and Netsuko sat and quietly talked while Terraile gazed out the window.  She had her bow with her.  I started out the door and backed out of the driveway and onto the street.

            We were almost to the marketplace when disaster struck.  I was making a left turn and the light turned red while I was still in the intersection.  So I made the turn to get out of the way of traffic.  However, the person in the opposite lane didn't stop like he was supposed to.  I only glimpsed the front of his car in my side mirror before it hit us.  I was thrown forwards, my seat belt stopping me from hitting the steering wheel.  As it was, my shoulder was wrenched rather badly as the car spun from the side collision.  There was the horrible noise of twisting metal and my pets were screaming in terror.  There was the sound of breaking glass.  The car stopped moving finally and I sat there, dazed, aware of someone in the back seat crying.  Who was on the side that was hit…?  My addled mind struggled to make sense of what had just happened.  Sakuko in the passenger side and Netsuko… Netsuko had taken the window seat.  I unbuckled my seat belt and twisted to face Sakuko.  The entire right side of the car was crunched in.  Sakuko was slumped in my direction, eyes closed but breathing fine.  Blood trickled down her forehead, probably from hitting the side window or dashboard.  My car was too old to have airbags.  

            "Sakuko?" I whispered.

            "Nuhh… uh… wha…?"

            "You okay?"

            Her eyes fluttered open.  

            "I'm okay."

            I nodded and turned my attention to the back seat.  Terraile was curled up on the far left, visibly shaking.  Aldrai was crying, pawing at Netsuko's ear.  She was on the right side of the car, not moving.

            "No," I whispered, and climbed over into the backseat.  

            "She's gotta be okay, she's gotta be okay," Aldrai whispered over and over.

            I gathered my magic to me and examined her.  She was hurt, her ribs broken.  Then I heard MoonFall weakly whisper my name.  They were in the back.  No seat belt.

            "Aldrai.  Listen, I need your help here," I said, "I can only heal one person at a time.  MoonFall and Eair need me, you have to heal Netsuko.  You have the light magic, you can do this."

            "But… I…"

            "Please Aldrai."

            I climbed over the back seat and into the trunk.  MoonFall lay up against the far side, glass covering her fur.  The back window was shattered and Un-eairkagh wasn't in the car.

            "I'll… be okay… see to Eair," she gasped.

            I nodded and hauled myself out the broken back window, ignoring the glass that cut into my palm.  The striped eyrie was laying a short distance away, not moving.  Already a small crowd of onlookers had gathered.  I ran to his side and lay my hands on him.  He was still alive, but very badly hurt.  I gathered the strands of light and water to me, weaving them together and laying them on my eyrie's prone form.  It was a delicate spell, requiring much concentration.  The world around me seemed to fade, even the sound of the distant sirens headed our way.  Everything vanished except for me, my magic, and my eyrie.  

            Suddenly he gasped, his eyes snapping open and his claws scrabbling on the pavement.  I sighed and leaned back on my haunches.  Un-eairkagh staggered to his feet, starring in horror at his bloodied feathers.

            "What the heck happened?" he exclaimed.

            "Car crash.  I healed you," I said wearily.

            I turned back to the car.  Everyone but MoonFall had staggered out, Aldrai carrying Netsuko.  He lay her on the ground as I watched and knelt beside her.  I could see him gathering the currents of magic around him, tangible light only we could see.  Then he gestured and my vision was blinded with pure light emanating from him.  I gasped and stood.  Like a flame suddenly bursting from nothingness, my zafara was alight with pure light magic.  He spread his arms out and it covered Netsuko.  I could see his fur lightening to white and angelic wings springing from his back.  Then Netsuko's eyes flew open and she gazed up at Aldrai in fear and wonder.  The light mage zafara.

            He then turned to my car.  Light flooded it and I could see Lady MoonFall struggling to stand amidst the brilliance.  Suddenly she burst out from the ruined back window, her horn gleaming in the magical brightness and her mane flying.  She stood there proudly and then turned towards the car that had hit us.  Aldrai dropped his hands and folded his wings, walking over to stand before the driver of the car.  His mouth was agape and his green nimmo stood nearby, shivering.

            "Why didn't you stop?" Aldrai hissed, "You almost killed us!"

            "I – I…"

            "Tried to run the red light!" the zafara snapped, "Didn't you see us in the turn lane?"

            The man was practically cowering at that point.  I quickly stepped in.

            "Calm now… No one was hurt," I said.

            "Thanks to you and me," the zafara replied sullenly.

            "Still."

            Aldrai shrugged and allowed his wings and color fade back to spotted.  He walked away to see to Netsuko.

            "You're very lucky," I told the man, "When the police get here you'll have a lot to answer for."

            He looked positively ill.

            My truck was towed away for repairs.  At the police station, I called Sabreur and told him to pick us up.  Then I turned to face the officer who had taken our report.

            "Since there are technically no injuries now," he said, "You won't have to take this to court.  Unless you want to, that is."

            "No, that's alright.  I'm sure he'll have paid enough when his insurance company gets the repair bill."

            "That's settled then.  Now… you have a bit to answer to yourself."

            I groaned inwardly.  I knew this was coming.

            "Seven people in one car?  Two pets in the back, with no seatbelt?  That's a major violation if I've ever seen one.  You are extremely lucky no one was killed.  As it is, only your magic saved this from becoming a major tragedy."

            He picked up a chart and scribbled something on a piece of paper.

            "I'm issuing you a citation," he said, handing it to me, "any more violations of this manner and you can kiss your license goodbye."

            "Yes officer," I said meekly and hurried out the door to where my pets were waiting.

            Sabreur was also there, along with Melody.  

            "Let's just go home," I said wearily, shoving the citation in my pocket, "I'm exhausted."

            They nodded understandingly and led the way to the car.  It was a tense ride home, made worse by the fact my brain was replaying every moment of the crash in my head.  The car was slowing.  But it didn't stop.  Why didn't I wait for it to stop?  The impact.  Un-eairkagh laying on the pavement, not moving.  Aldrai and his magic.  I sighed and leaned my head against the window.  My back and neck ached and I imagined they would hurt much worse the next morning.  Why didn't it stop?  Why didn't I wait?  I could have lost my pets.  So stupid…  such a stupid thing to have done.  And Aldrai's magic lighting him up like a flame.  A white candle flame.


	4. Destiny?

_Destiny?___

I spent the rest of the day in kind of a daze.  My mind was still reeling from what had just happened.  Melody fixed dinner, karma, a kind of strange vegetarian pasta with olives.  She remembered to pick those nasty things out of my helping even.  I ate it without really tasting anything.  After that Sabreur suggested a movie.  I fell asleep halfway through and woke up the next morning in my bed, still dressed, with a massive ache in my shoulders and neck.  

            I groaned and literally rolled out of bed.  My back was just one massive lump of pain.  I drew my magic to me and loosened the muscles and healed the damaged areas.  The pain faded and I stood.  Better see to my pets.  They were probably in the same state. 

            I found Terraile in her room, listening to music.  She turned it down when I entered.

            "You okay?" I asked.

            "Oh, I'm fine.  I hurt like heck this morning but Aldrai fixed that.  He did that for all of us."

            "Really?  That was nice of him."

            "Yeah.  Try to be quiet when you go downstairs, I think everyone else is still asleep."

            I nodded and padded downstairs.  Sure enough, Sakuko and Netsuko were curled up on the couch, Sabreur in the recliner, and Melody on the floor with a pillow under her head.  Infernus and Melody's three pets were piled in a heap by the sliding door to the backyard.  I couldn't remember when they had come over.

            I tiptoed over to Aldrai's room where I could hear voices.  I slipped in and found MoonFall and Aldrai awake and talking.

            "I was just about to go get everyone up and make breakfast," the island uni said, "Faerie pancakes sound good?"

            "Sure."

            She nodded and trotted from the room.

            "So Aldrai," I said, sitting on his chair, "How're feeling?"

            He ducked his head in a half-nod.

            "Pretty good.  Ya know… I've been thinking about this crash."

            "And?"

            "Well, I've always wondered why I've had magic.  I mean, you have yours, Terraile has her bow, so why do you need me?  And then… there's this crash.  And Terraile can't heal because she uses dark magic and you can only tend to one at a time… and there I am.  I think, I don't know, maybe it's my purpose to use my magic to help others.  Maybe it was destiny at work yesterday."

            "Perhaps," I said thoughtfully.  

            "I mean, maybe that car crash was supposed to happen.  So I'd learn what I'm supposed to do with my magic."

            "But the car crash was a bad thing," I said gently.

            "Good things can come out of bad, right?  I mean, the flood and all was bad, but you got me out of it.  And… the Shadows were bad but you became the Essence out of that.  That's good, right?"

            "I'm not so sure.  Yeah, it comes in handy sometimes, but all in all, I'd rather have stayed a normal Neopian family."

            "But what about the power you have?"

            "There are some things more important than power… ah, sounds like MoonFall is done with the pancakes."

            I smiled and stood, heading for the door.  Aldrai watched me leave.

            Aldrai took his new revelation quite seriously.  We returned to the marketplace a couple days later with Sabreur and Infernus as I still needed groceries.  My car wasn't fixed yet so we went via air.  Infernus carried Sabreur in their unique hangliding way, I flew on my own, and Aldrai used his magic to shift into the Christmas zafara color.  We landed near the bakery and I quickly slipped inside to see if there had been a recent restock.  

            Sure enough, the kacheek had just put out oodles of fresh newly-baked bread.  I practically pounced on them and started buying stuff up faster than he could put it into bags.  I loooove bread.  I managed to buy up enough to keep my pets fed for a couple days before Un-eairkagh dragged me out of the store.

            "We need a balanced diet!" he cried.

            "But bread is an important source of nutrients," I argued.

            His eyes drifted over to the chocolate factory and then to Hubert's hotdogs.

            "Oh fine.  We'll get some other food for the week."

            I sprung for lunch while we were out.  We ate near the rainbow pool, sitting on the grass.  We weren't the only group out there either.  A lot of pets and owners were gathered around the Money Tree, giving or taking items and money.  Aldrai watched them for a while.  He then stood and walked over.  I quickly pushed myself to my feet and followed.

            "Mommy… I'm hungry," a young chia was crying.

            "I know… I'm trying."

            Aldrai gently touched the chia's shoulder and handed him one of our sandwiches.  The chia's eyes lit up in gratitude and he eagerly started eating it.

            "Thank you…" his owner said, her eyes shining, "I've been trying for so long."

            Aldrai shrugged.

            "I understand."

            I quickly switched to my magical sight and indeed saw the currents of power gathering around Aldrai.  I frowned, unsure of what he was doing.  Then there was the blinding radiance I had seen yesterday.  I narrowed my eyes at the brilliance and continued watching.  He reached out a paw and lay it on the chia's head.  The light wrapped around him… the same way it did when Aldrai changed his color.  Aldrai stepped back a step, still trailing white radiance and the chia gasped in utter amazement.  He now sported faerie wings.  Aldrai had changed his color.

            "How… how did you know?" he asked in a whisper.

            Aldrai just smiled and walked away.  The two watched him go.  They didn't even notice me, not even when I walked back over to the group and sat down.

            "Wow Aldrai!" Un-eairkagh said, "That was awesome!"

            "Thanks," he said smugly, "Just trying to use my magic for something good."

            I grinned weakly and exchanged glances with Terraile.  She appeared worried.  We finished our lunch quickly and hurried through the rest of our shopping.  For some reason I didn't want to stay in the marketplace anymore.  I blamed it on the heat.  I think they believed me.


	5. Helping Hand

Helping Hand

            Aldrai's new destiny consumed his life after that.  He'd leave the house early in the morning and head down to the marketplace.  I began to hear stories about a Christmas zafara that stopped some bully or saved some pet from being robbed.  I began to grow nervous.  Aldrai was overtaxing himself, pushing his magic to the limits each and every day.  Sure, helping others was a good cause, but he was going to hurt himself if he kept up like he was.  

            One day I decided to go with him.

            "Well… alright," he said reluctantly.

            I walked down the street with him in silence.  My car still wasn't fixed, in fact, the garage had said it might not be repairable.  Sabreur had gone down in person to prove them wrong.  He was going to call me later that evening with how it went.

            "So what do you do all day?" I asked him.

            He just shrugged and kept his head down.

            "Aldrai?" 

            "Well… I just… _feel_ who needs something.  Then I go help them."

            "All day?"

            "Sometimes."

            "Don't you get tired?"

            "Yeah, but I'm okay.  Honestly."

            "Netsuko misses seeing you."

            His ear twitched and he didn't reply.

            "I think you're pushing yourself too hard," I said gently, "It's good to try to help others but you may be taking it too far."

            He didn't say anything and we continued the walk to the marketplace in silence.  

            When we arrived there Aldrai quickly turned into his Christmas zafara form.  It soon became apparent where he was needed.  A small bruce had just managed to snag a hundred neopoints off the Money Tree and was hurrying away, eyes agleam in excitement.  A green kougra walked up and shoved him back.

            "Hey, give me that," the kougra snapped.

            The bruce's eyes started to water and he backed away in fear.

            "I said, give me that!"

            "Excuse me," Aldrai said quietly from behind the kougra.

            The kougra turned and growled at Aldrai.

            "Watcha want, shrimp?" he snarled.

            "Don't judge by size," the zafara reproached, "Sometimes things aren't what they appear."

            "Get lost."

            "No.  You leave that bruce alone."

            The kougra snarled and shoved Aldrai away.  The zafara staggered back a couple steps but then leaped into the air, power flaring up around him.  The white fire was visible to everyone nearby.  The kougra gasped and backpeddled away.

            "I said to leave him alone," Aldrai said sternly, "Now get out of here!  Go!"

            The kougra gasped in terror and turned and fled, his tail puffed up in fright.  Aldrai landed and the fire vanished.  He gave everyone nearby a stern glance and turned his attention to the bruce.  He stared at Aldrai in a mixture of fear and amazement, then babbled out a thank you.  Then he too turned and ran.

            Aldrai returned to my side and I did my best to ignore the looks that followed us.

            "See?" he said, glancing up at me.

            "I don't know Aldrai…"

            "Just because we have power doesn't mean we should be scared to use it.  I know that's why you rarely use your power."            

            "There's more to it then that."

            "Well, I'm not scared to use my magic anymore.  I'm done with being scared and weak.  I have a purpose now!  Can't you see that Kiddo?"

            "I guess so.  But still… be careful Aldrai.  Just because you have power doesn't mean you have to use it.  Sometimes things can be solved by being left alone.  And besides… I know it's tiring to work magic all day.  Please… for the sake of me worrying, cut back a little.  Spend more time at home, with your family.  With your friends."

            He sighed and scuffed at the dirt with his paw.

            "Alright.  Since you insist."        

            Sabreur called me that evening, right after dinner.  I flew right over to his house to inspect the truck that lay half dissasembled in his front yard.

            "Talk about ghetto," I muttered, surveying the mess.

            "Ah, I'll get it cleaned up," my brother replied, wiping his hands on a towel.

            "You'd better.  The neighbors might file a complaint for such an eyesore."

            "They're used to my lab blowing up.  This won't even faze 'em."

            I sighed in resignation and walked over to my truck.  The frame was pretty much straightened out but the insides were a mess.

            "So what did the garage say?" I asked.

            "The undercarriage of the truck is wrecked.  They can't fix it."

            "Great, just great," I muttered, "I don't have the money to get a new vehicle."

            "I know.  Which is why I'm going to fix it."        

            "But the garage said it wasn't repairable."

            He grinned at me and picked up what looked like a screwdriver (although with Sabreur you never knew).

            "That's because they are weak-minded fools with only a shaky grasp of physics," he gloated, "but I, Sabreur, can fix _anything_!"

            "So you called me over to tell me that you're a mad scientist?  I already knew that."

            "No, I called you to tell you I'm going to fix your car.  And add some improvements."

            That got my attention.

            "What kind of 'improvements'?"

            He tried to look innocent.

            "Oh… nothing.  Much.  Just a modified version of the grand lighting beam on the front… reinforced armor plating on the sides… a high-tech in-built computer system complete with tracking capabilities for the side mounted guns and GPS."

            I stared at him in disbelief.

            "What?" he protested innocently, "Doesn't everyone want their car to be a fully armed assault vehicle?"

            "No… only technology crazed freaks like you."

            He sighed.

            "Alright, I'll leave the armor plating off.  But can I pleeease include everything else?  It's a new design I've been dying to try out!"

            I sighed in despair.  There was no stopping him apparently.

            "Fine.  Do what you want.  But if my car blows up I get yours."

            He beamed happily and dove for his toolbox.

            "Thanks sis!" he cried.

            I rolled my eyes and headed back to my house to break the news.  


	6. The Storm

The Storm

            It was almost dark by the time I headed home.  The sky had deepened to inky blackness quickly, on account of the clouds that had rolled in.  I watched the sky worriedly on the front of Sabreur's lawn.

            "You need a ride home?" he asked.

            "No, I think I can beat the weather."

            He shrugged. 

            "Well, just be careful."

            I nodded and spread my wings.  The storm shouldn't break until I got back.  

            The wind was picking up as I flew.  I was starting to think that this may have been a bad decision but pressed on.  I was the Essence of Neopia, not much could hurt me.  Then it started raining.  The rain was icy cold, stinging on my bare skin.  My clothing was soon soaked through.  Then a flash of light illuminated the sky and I realized that I had better land.  Now.  

            I went into a straight dive and flared my wings only at the last minute to land safely.  I could probably make it home via air but I really didn't feel like using my magic to protect me from lightning tonight.  It didn't really matter… I was already soaked through.  What was a little bit of a walk going to do now?

            I had almost reached my house when I caught a glimpse of orange out of the corner of my eye.  I didn't pay much attention to it but hurried up the drive into my house.

            "MoonFall!" I called, "Could you get me some towels, please?"

            I heard her hooves clattering on the kitchen floor.

            "I'm kinda busy… Aldrai?"

            There was no reply.    

            "Aldrai?" she tried again.

            I was silent.  The orange outside… about the size of a zafara.  I sighed.  What on earth was he doing?

            "Never mind.  I think he's outside.  I'll go after him."

            "What?!" 

            I didn't reply to her but merely went back outside in the storm.  Where was that zafara?  And what on Neopia was he doing?

            I was able to track pets through their elements.  Each pet has a certain element which is strongest in them.  It's linked to their personality.  With Aldrai being such a powerful light element it was fairly easy to trace him through the night.  I simply followed the thread of power he left.  Soon I caught sight of him, standing alone on a grassy knoll near my house.  The river flowed nearby, just down the hill.  Lightning suddenly flashed overhead and suddenly I remembered exactly what this place was.  All those years ago.  Just Un-eairkagh and I.

                        _"Here!" he said, peering in.  _

I looked down inside.  There was nothing there, cept lots of water flowing towards the river.  Part of the ditch had been washed away by the rain.

_"Oh, no.  It's gone."_

_"What!?  For crying out loud, what is going on?"_

_He sat down in the mud.  _

_"A zafara.  Real young.  It was lying in the ditch, all bloody."_

_He put his head down, and I think tears streaked his already wet feathers.  I looked at the ditch._

_"The river," I said.  "It might have gotten washed away into the river."_

_Un-eairkagh leaped to his feet and bounded down in that direction.  I followed, half running, half sliding on the muddy ground.  We stopped short of the water's edge, and desperately scanned the water._

_"Might have gotten washed downstream.  Com'n, I'm not giving up yet," I said, spreading my wings.  _

_We took flight and followed the river, searching for the zafara.  We were flying low, and it was difficult to stay aloft.  Then Un-eairkagh shouted.  I followed his gaze and saw a brief glimpse of red fur in the turbulent water.  Then it was gone again._

            I shuddered at the memory.  A storm.  The river.  What was he doing here?

            I walked closer to the zafara.  He sat with his back turned, near the very ditch I had found him.  

            "Aldrai?" I said as I approached.

            "I thought… thought I felt something here," he whispered, "But there's no one here but us."

            "Yes, that's true.  Com'n, lets go home."

            "But why am I being drawn here?  I don't understand…"

            I searched my memory.  No… today… couldn't be.  I hadn't realized that.  Nor had Aldrai, apparently.  He was too young when it happened.

            "Aldrai… this is… the anniversary of… that day…" I gently whispered.

            "But why am I being drawn here?  My power, it calls."

            "I don't know.  Let's go home, please?  I don't like being here."

            Lightning flashed overhead and I absently glanced up.  When I looked back Aldrai was gone.  I panicked slightly and ran forwards.  He was trotting down the hill, the same hill I ran down to the river.  I followed him, taking care not to slide on the muddy bank.  He was standing near the very edge, looking at the turbulent water.  His eyes were glazed and I wondered what he was seeing.

            "Aldrai, please.  Com'n, there's nothing here."

            "What was it like?" he marveled, "I remember seeing her.  And the dagger, and the white aisha.  Then… cold and alone.  Why'd you do it?  Un-eairkagh says you were lucky to survive the river.  Why'd you do it?"

            "Because I couldn't leave you."

            "You didn't even know me then.  You could have died."

            "But I didn't."

            "You had your white eyrie form then," he continued, "But it wasn't enough.  You weren't strong enough to save us both.  So why…?"

            "Why what?"

            "Why weren't you strong enough?  Why aren't we all strong enough?  We should be."

            He snarled softly.

            "Strong enough to do what?  Protect ourselves and others?  That's not possible Aldrai.  The world isn't like that."

            "But if it was, there wouldn't be any more tragedies like that.  No more."

            "Too many people would abuse that power.  People aren't good-hearted like you and our family."

            "Yes… I'm good.  You're good.  But everyone else isn't… they should be.  They should be."

            I was quiet, thinking.  What had driven this need to come down here at this time, during this storm?  I sighed and started to turn away, to head back to the house.  Hopefully he'd follow.

            I never got the chance.  The bank beneath me crumbled and I lost my footing, unable to grab hold of anything with uni hooves.  I fell into the river with a yelp and immediately felt the current grab hold.  But this time things were different.  

            I gathered the power of water around me and gestured.  The water stilled in an area directly around me.  I managed to regain my footing and while holding the water still, climb out.  Aldrai met me at the bank with amazement in his eyes.

            "See, you're the Essence!" he cried, "You have the power to save yourself now!"

            "I'd rather not have it," I replied, frowning at the river water now dripping off me.

            Not that it mattered much.

            "But you were given it!  You should use it, just like you did just then!  That's why I came down here, isn't it?  My power… my talent… it should be used.  See?  Don't you see?  Why else is there a storm this night, of all nights?"

            "I think you're reading into things too deeply," I replied.

            But Aldrai wasn't listening.  His eyes were glistening with fever-madness.  I could see the edges of them burning white, something that had never happened before when he used his power.  It was then I started to truly worry.

            "Com'n Aldrai… let's just go home," I said, picking him up.

            I carried him home in my arms.  The lighting flashed above us and the thunder rolled across the rain-swollen river.


	7. Opposites

Opposites

There is kind of a set ritual in my house.  Every morning I'm woken up by my pets.  Sometimes it's Un-eairkagh and MoonFall fighting over something.  Or it's Un-eairkagh and his infernal battle duck.  Sometimes it's Terraile playing music on the speakers in the game room.  Either way, it's always something I'm used to.  Not today.

            I was woken by fighting all right but it wasn't MoonFall and Un-eairkagh.  It was Terraile and Aldrai.  I sat bolt upright in bed and then quickly disentangled myself from the covers.  I could hear them shouting from the downstairs.

            "Who made you lord of all Neopia!?" Terraile shouted.

            "Will you shut up and listen to me!?" Aldrai hollered back.

            I hurried out of my room and down the stairs.  The spotted zafara and shadowed shoyru stood facing each other in the living room, glaring.  Terraile held her bow with an arrow already drawn.  Aldrai's eyes were white around the edges and I could see wisps of light magic gathering.  This could turn really ugly really fast…

            "Look, I know what you're trying to say!  And you know what: I DON'T CARE!"  

            "Well, you should!"

            "I don't!  So get outta my face!"

            "You know what your problem is?" Aldrai snapped, "You and your wretched magic."

            "MY magic?!  Suddenly this is about MY magic?!"

            "Yeah!  You and that stupid bow of yours, always carrying it around.  The thing is evil!"

            Terraile was at a loss for words for a moment, visibly trembling with anger.

            "Hold up!  MY magic saved us all!" she screeched, "In case you don't forget MY 'wretched' bow opened the gate to the Shadow realm and SAVED ALL OF NEOPIA!"

            "THE THING IS EVIL!!"

            "IT DOESN'T MATTER!!"

            "ENOUGH!" I yelled above their fighting, "That is quite ENOUGH."

            The two stopped shouting but remained where they were, glaring at each other.  I could feel the tension between them and the threat that this could turn violent, right below the surface.  Terraile, darkness, Aldrai, light.  Opposites.

            "Both of you.  Go to your rooms."

            Terraile shot Aldrai one last poisonous glance and then turned sharply and stalked off to her room.  She slammed the door behind her hard enough to make the walls rattle.

            "Aldrai?"

            He hadn't moved.  He took a deep breath and then turned and walked to the front door.

            "Aldrai!" I cried.

            "I don't want to be in the same house as _her_," he snapped.

            And he stormed out of my house, also slamming the door behind him.  I groaned and sunk on the couch, a headache already threatening.

            "Go get dressed," MoonFall said gently, coming over, "You can sort this out after breakfast.  Anything you want?"

            "I don't care," I muttered and reluctantly heaved myself off the couch to go get out of my pajamas.

            Today would not be a good day.  I could tell that already.  

Un-eairkagh and MoonFall watched me eat breakfast.  Part of me wanted to tell them to go away but I couldn't bear to do that.  They were worried, just as I was.

            "So?" Un-eairkagh finally asked.

            "Aldrai's been using his magic too much, I think," I replied, "Since he and Terraile are opposite elements it's boiling over."

            "So what do we do?" MoonFall said.

            "You two do nothing.  Just stay out of the way.  I'm going to talk to Terraile and see if Netsuko and Sakuko could hunt down Aldrai.  I'm really worried about him."

            "We all are."

            I nodded and reluctantly swallowed the rest of my breakfast.  Time to go call Sakuko.  

            I dialed her number and she picked up on the third ring.

            "I'm surprised," she said sarcastically, "I thought you'd still be asleep."

            "It's almost nine thirty," I replied peevishly, "Now are you done making fun of me?"

            "Yep.  Watcha up to?"

            "Aldrai and Terraile had a fight this morning.  Aldrai stormed out of the house."

            Sakuko made little spluttering noises of disbelief.

            "Aldrai and Terraile fought?  That's…. that's against the laws of nature almost.  And Aldrai stormed out of the house?"

            "Yeah.  I'm going to talk to Terraile here, could you go find Aldrai?"

            "Sure.  Netsuko would be glad to help."

            "Thanks… I really appreciate this."

            "It's what friends are for," she replied quietly and hung up.

            I sighed and ran my hands through my hair.  The single streak of white fell before my eyes.  I hesitated, then gently tucked it behind my ear.  

            Terraile was in her room as I'd ordered, sitting sullenly on her bed.  I pulled up a chair opposite her and sat down.

            "Hey," I said softly.

            She didn't look at me.

            "You do realize that you and Aldrai are opposite elements."

            "I know."

            "So…?"

            "So Aldrai is really worrying me.  He… said that my bow and my magic is evil.  And that you don't understand and that…"

            "I know.  He thinks that his power is there to be used - he's taking it as a gift instead of a responsibility."

            "I don't understand what's happening…" 

            She looked up at me and there were tears building at the corner of her large eyes.

            "Hey hey now…" I said gently, "It's not your fault.  Listen; I'm not sure what's going on with Aldrai either.  Just… try to not fight with him.  Just back down, okay?"

            She nodded mutely.

            "It's hard."

            "I know it is.  But sometimes the only way to end a fight is by not fighting at all."

            "Like what you did with WeatherWolf," she said with a soft smile.

            "Exactly.  Do you think you can do that?"

            She looked at the floor, thinking.

            "I – I think so.  I'll try."

            "Good.  I'm going to go find Aldrai now, okay?"

            I stood and started to leave.  She stopped me at the door.

            "Kiddo.  Am I grounded?"

            I laughed.

            "No, of course not," I said, "Not yet, anyways."

            I flashed her a quick grin to show I was teasing and then left.


	8. Turn Around

Turn Around

Netsuko knew all of Aldrai's haunts.  She knew the ones even child_dragon didn't know for he had brought her there on many occasions.  She went alone, for she didn't think it appropriate for Sakuko to come along.

            "I'll wait at the house for you then," the human girl had said calmly.

            Netsuko found Aldrai in the third place she looked.  The river that was near child_dragon's house also passed near hers.  About halfway between the two houses was a tree that had split low to the ground.  It was very easy to climb and Aldrai would many times meet Netsuko there, high up in the branches.  

            She found a steady grip with her paws and started to climb.  He looked down from his perch and watched her progress.  Up and up, first that branch, then a leap to the next, her zafara claws digging into the bark as needed, her tail providing balance.  She was almost to his branch.  She looked up and he reached down a paw.  She took it and Aldrai helped her up the last part of the climb.  They sat on the same large branch now, Aldrai with his back against the tree trunk, her perched a little further out.

            "I haven't seen much of you lately," she said softly.

            "I'm sorry.  It's just…"

            "You're using your magic quite a bit," she continued.

            "I know.  But I need to."

            "No you don't.  You don't need to do anything.  You just need to be Aldrai."

            He looked at her, pain in his eyes.

            "But I am Aldrai.  This magic is part of me."

            "You were Aldrai before you started using the magic."

            "No… yes… I don't know.  I was born with this power… but why didn't it show up until after it was too late to do any good…?"

            "I don't know.  I don't think anyone knows.  It doesn't matter really."

            "Yes it does!" he cried in anguish, "If I had my magic then I would have been able to help child_dragon.  I would have been able to stand up against Rycio!  I would have been able to save my mother!"

            He buried his face in his paws and cried.  Netsuko hesitated, then placed a paw on his shoulder in comfort.

            "I just want to be able to do some good," he moaned softly, "I just… want to be able to help.  Change this world for the better."

            "We all do," the rainbow zafara replied softly, "but not all of us can.  We have to be content with what we can do."

            "And I can use my magic to help others."

            "But are you helping?  What about Terraile?"

            His face suddenly fell into an emotionless mask.  

            "What about her?"

            "Well… I think you may have hurt her feelings pretty badly.  That's not helping anyone."

            "She… she doesn't understand."           

            "I don't think any of us do.  We're worried about you."

            "Worried?  Why on Neopia are you worried?"

            "Because… you're using your magic…"

            "Oh, that's it," he interrupted, "I'm using my magic too much.  Nitpicking again on Aldrai.  I see how it is.  Look, I know my limits better than you do and I'm fine!"

            "No, Aldrai, that's not what I meant!" she cried desperately, "I don't think you realize just what…"

            She trailed off for it was obvious Aldrai was no longer listening.  In fact, he turned away and slid off the tree branch, his white wings suddenly appearing and floating him to the ground.  Netsuko watched him leave open-mouthed.  He'd never turned his back on her like this.  Never.  As the spotted zafara stalked away the one left behind hugged herself and cried.

****

            While Netsuko searched for Aldrai I headed over to Sabreur's house.  I needed my big brother.  There were times when I could handle everything myself, completely in control, the responsible adult.  Then there were times when I just needed his support; like when we were in grade school and we were both tardy.  Today was one of those times.

            The door to his house was locked.  But he was home, his car was in the driveway.  I hesitated then unlocked the door using my magic and went inside.  I could hear sounds coming from the back of his house, from his lab.  I covertly walked to it and stopped just outside the door.  Blast-proof glass allowed me to see in.  Both my brother and his scorchio were huddled around a table, fiddling with some piece of machinery.  I knocked at the door and both of them jumped.

            "When you'd show up?" my brother demanded.

            "Just now.  The door was locked but I just let myself in."

            "Oh."

            He removed his lab coat and headed over to the kitchens.

            "Neocola?"

            "Sure."

            I found a seat at the kitchen table and accepted the can he handed me.

            "So what's up?" he asked.

            And I told him.  I explained everything, from Aldrai's constant use of magic to his strange fight with Terraile.

            "So I think he's using his light magic too much," I finished.

            "And how would that effect things?"

            "Well, for starters, each element is associated with certain personality traits.  While light is overall good there can be dangers with using it too much."

            "Like what?"

            "BrightSong… the Shadows… told me that anything taken to an extreme can be dangerous.  Even light.  Think of a solar flare, or worse, supernova.  That's what happens when there is too much light."

            "So you think Aldrai is going to wind up hurting himself?"

            "I'm afraid so.  That or someone else."

            "How could he hurt someone else if he's channeling basically good?"

            "He could loose control.  But I doubt that'll happen… I think he's mostly a danger to himself right now.  I just… don't know what to do…"

            My brother sighed.

            "I'm not the best at these kind of things," he said awkwardly, "But here's what I'll suggest.  Tell him to tone it down some.  Tell him what you just told me.  If that fails, pull rank."

            "I don't like pulling rank on my pets."

            "I know.  But for his own good, right?"

            "I guess so."

            I stood up and placed the empty neocola can by the sink.

            "Your car should be done here pretty soon," Sabreur informed me as I walked to the door.

            "Alright.  Thanks.  How much did you change?"

            He looked at the ceiling and tried to appear innocent.

            "Errr, not much.  Just… repaired and… added on a bit.  Not much.  Really."

            "Sure," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

            I then tried to leave.  His door was locked.  I scowled and unlocked it.

            "Why must you do that?" I said in irritation, "It's not like anyone in their right mind would break in _your_ house, especially when you're at home."

            "Oh.  Well, you never know when an insurance salesman might drop by."

            I sighed.

            "Right bro.  Whatever."

            And I headed for home.


	9. Flickering

Flickering

            I arrived home and was greeted by a subdued Un-eairkagh.

            "He's not home yet," was all he said.

            That was all I needed to know.  I headed to the kitchen and called up Sakuko.  She informed me that Netsuko had indeed found Aldrai but that he had quarreled with her and left.  

            "What?!" I shrieked as soon as I hung up the phone.

            "Huh?"  

            "I can't believe this!  This… this is unreal!"

            I staggered into the living room and collapsed on a bean bag chair.

            "Kiddo?" Un-eairkagh asked, following me, "What's going on?"

            "Aldrai fought with Netsuko."

            The striped eyrie just stood there, stunned.

            "But… that's…. that's almost against the laws of Neopia.  That doesn't happen.  What's going on with my brother?"  

            I sat up.  Might as well be honest with him.

            "He's using too much magic.  I think it's starting to affect his actions.  Light magic has a very low tolerance for anything not associated with its nature.  I think that intolerance is starting to bleed into Aldrai's personality. And no one is perfect.  That's why he's getting so uptight with everyone."

            "So what do we do?"

            "Get him to realize what he's doing and make him stop using magic.  There's not much else I can do."

            "But you're the Essence!"

            I laughed hollowly.

            "A lot of good that's going to do.  The power of Neopia behind me.  The Elemental Spear as my weapon.  I'm completely unstoppable if I need be.  But what good is all the power in this world at my beck and call if I can only use it _against_ Aldrai?  Neopia is a primal and dangerous place, Un-eairkagh.  I can't force him to change his mind, the magic I can summon isn't that subtle.  Besides, I wouldn't do that, not against my own pet.  The only power I have at my disposal is brute force.  Whether to help or hurt, it's still just brute force.  I can't use it against Aldrai.  I'd either hurt him or drive him even further away from us."

            The eyrie was quiet for a few moments.

            "So we have no options," he said quietly.

            "No options except to talk to him and hope."

            We were both quiet for a long time until the door bell rang.  I hurried over and opened it.  Sabreur stood there with my truck in the driveway.

            "I didn't think I'd get it done for a couple days but Drake_da_dragon helped some after you left," he explained, holding up the car keys, "So, you ready to take it for a drive?   Maybe we'll find Aldrai."

            I nodded and grabbed the keys.  I let Sabreur in and hastened to my room to gather up my purse and license.  

            "Anyone want to come with me?" I called as I dug up my wallet from underneath a couple books on the floor of my room.

            "I do!" 

            "And me!"  

            I met all my pets downstairs where they were eagerly peering out the window at my car.  I escorted everyone out the front door and to the driveway where I stared at my car in dismay.

            "What on Neopia did you do?" I asked of my brother.

            "Well, these here are the side guns," he explained, gesturing to the boxy things on the sides, "and here are the generators for the modified grand lightning beam on the front.  The antennas on the top are for the GPS.  I linked it to the Virtupets computer systems so we've got the full map of Neopia.  The computer system is controlled on the dash and is all automatic."

            "But what's with the armor plating?" I asked, tapping on the reinforced sides and doors, "I thought I told you no."

            "Ah, well, that's not armor plating."

            "Sure looks like it to me," Terraile commented.

            "It's shielding."

            "Shielding for _what?!_"

            "I had to install a fission reactor to power all the computer systems and weaponry. It replaced the gas tank."

            "I'VE GOT A MINIATURE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN MY CAR!?" I screeched loud enough for everyone on the block to hear.

            "Well, yes, but at least you won't have to fill up for gas anymore," he said hopefully.

            "I'm going to kill you," I muttered, "If the radiation doesn't first."

            "But that's why there's shielding!  No radiation.  I promise."

            "Sabreur… if this thing gets into another accident we're all dead."

            "That's why we have all the weapons.  They'll disable any car stupid enough to try to get in an accident with us."

            "Does disable mean destroy?"

            "Depends on how close they get."

            I groaned and reluctantly walked over to the driver's side door.  Un-eairkagh tried to take the passenger side seat but Sabreur beat him to it.  Instead he took the back with MoonFall and Terraile.  

            "Cool!" he exclaimed, "There's seats in the trunk now!"

            "They fold down for when you need the space to haul non-pets," my brother explained.

            "That's a good idea," I replied absently, trying to figure out the new set of consoles on my dash.

            "Just don't worry about them," he said, "Everything works like you remember.  I'll explain as we drive."

            "Alright."

            I turned the car on.  Instead of its normal lugging engine noise I heard only a slight hum.  The computer screens lit up, displaying a map of the surrounding area and status reports on all parts of the car, including the weapons.  I tried to ignore that and put the car into reverse, backing out onto the street.  The map changed into a view of all four sides of my car.

            "What the…?"

            "It's cause you hate backing this thing," he explained, "Figure it'll help you judge distance."

            I grinned and pulled out onto the street.

            The truck drove exactly like I remembered it.  Nothing had really changed except its acceleration was better and everyone kept the expected three car lengths distance from my vehicle.  Some even went for four.  I can't imagine why, the side mounted guns would only swivel and lock onto anyone that got too close.  As we neared Neopia Central I noticed that the weapons were stubbornly targeted on a nearby black car and were even taking range findings of the car's weak spots.

            "Um, bro?  They're not going to fire, are they?"

            "Not yet.  They're just going through the preliminary tests for attack.  That car's license plate came up as a known traffic violator on the computer system.  See?"

            "I'm driving here, okay!  I'm not looking!"

            Un-eairkagh was cracking up behind me.

            "Hey, does this thing still have radio?" he asked.

            "Yep.  It's voice controlled now."

            "How's it work?"

            "Computer!" my brother ordered, "Play radio.  Station: 88.7"

            The speakers switched on and I noticed it lacked the static it normally had.

            "I modified it a bit.  It can play CDs and tapes now.  You do know your deck was broken before, right?"

            "I knew."

            "Well, I fixed it."

            I nodded and absently took a right turn on a side street.  The radio finished its song and went into a quick news bulletin.  Un-eairkagh groaned and was about to change the station when I stopped him.

            "Wait!"

            "…no one is really sure what happened at the commercial district of Neopia Central but several people and pets have already been rushed to the hospital.  A bystander reports seeing a fight between a lupe and gelert break out only to be stopped by what was apparently a spotted zafara with angel wings.  However, after the explosion the only zafara seen was a Darigan one.  The witness is not considered very credible at the moment as he was caught in the blast that destroyed at least five shops and injured ten."

            I pulled over to the nearest street parking spot I could find.  I was too shocked to even be nervous about parallel parking.

            "A spotted zafara!  Not Aldrai!" MoonFall cried.

            "Who else do you know has angel wings?" I replied.

            "But they said a Darigan zafara was leaving the scene.  And Aldrai would never hurt anyone, right?"

            "So Aldrai tried to break up a fight and someone else, the Darigan zafara, intervened," my brother said, "Either way, we've got to find them.  Aldrai and the other zafara.  Before something else happens."


	10. Too Far?

_Too Far?_

A large crowd of emergency vehicles and people blocked the way to the scene of the devastation.  We managed to get through the people just fine, thanks to Sabreur's modifications of my car.  However, we were forced to abandon the vehicle once we hit the police line.

            The area was already blocked off by a line of police and their cars.  I walked up to the nearest officer, a tall man with brown hair and a Christmas Gelert by his side.

            "Excuse me officer," I said, "We need to get through."

            "No one is allowed past this point," he replied calmly.

            "Yes, but I'm child_dragon.  The Essence of Neopia.  Haven't you heard…?"

            "I don't care if you're Fyora hers-"

            He was abruptly cut off by the arrival of none other than a faerie.  A light faerie.

            "Hello Heya," I said with a smile.

            "Hello child_dragon.  Officer, let her through."

            The policeman shot me an odd glance and then stepped aside.

            "Thank you," the faerie replied, "Be glad she's here.  She'll find out what happened.  And then give Fyora a full report, right?"

            Heya cast me a stern glance.

            "Of course," I replied with a smile.

            I led the five of us into the blocked off area.  All unhurt bystanders had been ushered off to the side and were being questioned by policemen.  All the injured had already been whisked away by ambulances.  The buildings though… small privately owned shops.  Nearly all within eyeshot bore some sign of damage, blast marks, broken windows, holes from flying debris.  And at the center was a spot of nothing but flat earth.  The buildings had been blasted to the ground, exploding outwards from a central spot in the middle of the street.  

            "The ground's hot," Un-eairkagh whined.

            "Stay here then, I've got hooves," I replied.

            MoonFall followed me into the center of the chaos.  There were no telltale clues of what had happened for anything not stone or rock had been obliterated.  The trees nearby were nothing but blackened trunks and the grass was gone.  The sidewalk was scorching hot when I bent down to touch it.  Only the foundations of the buildings remained.  I switched my vision over to my magical sight and was nearly blinded.  Hot raw light magic was everywhere. It coated the area, volatile and seething with untamed energy.

            "What happened?" my uni asked nervously.

            "Someone lost control…" I said softly, "… not sure who though.  It's too hot for me to pick up a signature.  Could have been either zafara."

            "Could it have been Aldrai defending himself?"

            "That's a possibility."

            I surveyed the area some more.  There was nothing else I could learn from this.  The magic was too strong, too wild.  Still dangerous too.  I gathered the power of Neopia around me and summoned the darkness.  The area around me seemed to dim, as if I was sucking all the light to myself.  I lay a network of threads of dark magic across the devastation.  The two forces negated each other.  Soon the worst of the standing light magic was gone.  The rest would dissipate with time but at least the area was safe again.

            I nodded to MoonFall and we rejoined Sabreur, Terraile, and Un-eairkagh.

            "So what happened?"

            "I don't know.  It was too hot to pick up a trace.  I've only seen magic that raw and in that quantity twice before."

            "When was that?" Sabreur asked.

            "When I unleashed the tidal wave to wipe out the Shadows across all of Neopia and when I destroyed the source of the Shadows."

            Sabreur fell into a shocked silence and followed me mutely back to the police line.

            "Well?" Heya demanded.

            "Nothing.  Can't pick up a signature, trace, nothing.  It's just light magic.  Tons of it."

            "We've had reports of a Darigan zafara flying towards the Haunted Forest," the police officer offered helpfully.

            "Any reports of a spotted one anywhere?"

            He shook his head.

            "Not yet.  But we're looking.  Gotta follow all leads."

            "Right.  We'll go check out the forest."

            "Okay.  Good luck to you… child_dragon, was it?"

            "Yes."

He looked at me oddly.

            "Heya explained what you are."

            "That's nice."

I turned and walked away before he could ask any more questions.

I sped all the way to the Haunted Forest.  The other cars avoided mine so I didn't have to worry about traffic that much.  And I figured that since Heya had cleared me for working with the police no one would pull me over.  Plus, I was worried.  Scared and confused.  What had happened to Aldrai?  If this other zafara had hurt him… there would be some kind of payback.  I silently repeated the vow I and everyone else in my family lived by: 'no one messes with family.'

The car couldn't go into the actual forest.  I brought it as far as possible and then parked off-road.  Sabreur and my three pets followed me into the forest.  I stretched out my senses, searching for something.  I felt power from the center of the forest but I couldn't tell what or who it was.

"The center of the forest," I said, "Where… where we fought WeatherWolf.  The remnants of the Shadow obelisk is messing with my perception… I can tell something is there but I can't tell what."

I summoned my spear to my hand and Terraile did the same with her bow.

"Everyone be ready."

Sabreur nodded and loosened his sword in it's sheath.  Un-eairkagh gave his dark battle duck a quick squeeze.  And we started into the forest.

Some people found the Haunted Woods frightening.  I used to.  Now I don't: I've braved it's depths, I've seen what evils it holds and I've lived to see the daylight again.  We walked confidently through it's shadowy depths, keeping a sharp eye out for anything nearby.  But not all things are visible to the naked eye.

"Leave now… you don't belong here… children of light…" a voice hissed from the depths.

"I'm surprised at you, Von Roo," I replied, "I thought you ambushed travelers instead of warning them off."

My pets and brother whirled around to form a circle, our backs protected against by each other.  I faced straight ahead and waited.  They couldn't see what I could.  And I knew Count Von Roo, vampire or no, would not attack us.  He hadn't lived this long by being stupid.    

Sure enough, the shadowy form materialized before me, a good distance out of spear range.

"I don't vant _you_," he said in disgust, "but that other one vould be nice…"

The vampire blumaroo's eyes flickered to my brother. 

"Don't even dream of it," my brother replied sternly.

"Vhat are you doing here?" Von Roo demanded, changing the subject.

"Hunting down whatever caused the chaos in Neopia Central."

"Ah yes.  _That_ thing," the blumaroo said in disgust.

"You've seen it?"

"Felt it, more likely.  It's very presence is an affront to the forest.  It's messing everything up.  The currents of power are being thrown into disarray.  Vill you get rid of it?  I'm assuming that's vhy you are here."

"If that's what needs to be done, then yes."

"Very vell.  I vill lead you to it."

He turned and started to glide off into the forest.

"Oh?  We can find our own way, thank you very much," I snapped.

"Can you?  Even vith the currents of power as they are?  You do not know the forest vithout the threads.  The threads are confused, tangled.  Nothing is as it vas.  I'm your only guide.  I vould not have sought you out othervise."

I hesitated and stretched my sense again.  The threads… had changed.  In the short time I was standing there talking with Count Von Roo they'd shifted a bit.  

"This thing… must be light magic," I whispered, "Von Roo is right.  It's thrown the forest into disarray.  Warring elements.  Geez…"

"You coming?"

I thought.  Count Von Roo obviously knew who and what I was.  It seemed ludicrous that he'd offer to help us, but then again… he wouldn't want anything associated with light staying in the forest where he hunted.  Apparently we had a common goal.

"Of course," I replied reluctantly and shouldered my spear, "But if you lead us astray, Von Roo…"

His sinister chuckle was my only reply.


	11. Stolen Candle

Stolen Candle

            No one talked as the vampire led us through the forest.  I kept my eyes firmly on the vampire, watching his cloaked form carefully.  If he betrayed us in any way I wanted my spear to hit its mark first try.  Behind me was Terraile.  She hovered a few feet of the ground, bow notched and ready.  MoonFall took the center with Un-eairkagh and Sabreur taking up the rear.  

            Hardly any light made it through the forest canopy.  It grew steadily darker as we neared our goal.  The darkness did not disturb me.  As unstable as the currents of magic were, the deep purple and white glow of light and dark lit the surrounding area.  Sabreur and the others were having some difficulties though.

            "Hold up," I ordered the vampire as Sabreur dissolved into incoherent threats as he tripped over another tree root.

            "Ve are almost there," the Count said impatiently.

            "But ve can't see," I replied sarcastically.

            The vampire sniffed to show what he thought of me mocking his accent.

            I ignored him and cupped my hands over MoonFall's horn.  A soft light arose and then grew steadily until my family could see the ground safely.  I turned back to Von Roo.  He had himself wrapped in his cloak so that only his head showed.  His eyes glittered blackly in the light and I could see his hatred of the stuff.

            "I do not like this," he said tersely.

            "Want your forest back or not?" I snapped.

            He didn't press the issue but returned to guiding us to the forest center.

            Eventually we reached out destination.  Up ahead I could see where the trees dropped away suddenly.  Light filtered into the clearing, the hazy sunlight of pre-sunset.  I gestured and the light from MoonFall's horn vanished.

            "This is as far as I go," the Count whispered, "Goodbye, Essence.  Farewell, mortal.  Perhaps ve shall meet again…"

            "I look forward to it," Sabreur said grimly, "I've been wanting to try my hand at vampire slaying."

            The blumaroo chuckled and vanished back into the forest.  My brother turned to me.

            "See, this is why I keep my door locked," he said matter-of-factly.

            "I still maintain that it's cause you're an obsessive-compulsive freak,"  
 I replied, and led the way into the clearing.

            It was as I remembered.  Shrouded by the neighboring trees, letting in only the barest of light.  The shattered remnants of the obsidian obelisk littered the clearing.  At the base of the small hill where it had stood crouched a zafara.  He was a deep red with jagged bat-wings and black claws.  His head was bowed and I could only see the tips of his spiky fur.

            "Stand up.  Turn around," I ordered.

            The zafara obeyed.  He drew himself up to his full height and stared at me with fever-glazed red eyes.

            "What have you done in Neopia Central?" I demanded.

            "I broke up a fight."

            His voice was soft and it raised the hair on the back of my neck.  Something was very, very wrong here.

            "You destroyed a good portion of the shops and hurt a lot of people."

            "Those things happen.  They… wouldn't listen.  None of them would.  None of them believed me."

            My brother shifted uneasily beside me.  Something… that voice… 

            "Where is Aldrai?" I whispered.

            The zafara looked at me and something familiar sparked in his eyes.

            "Look what they've done to me… I've only tried to help.  Ah, wretched ungrateful world…"

            "Aldrai?  Where is he?" I whispered, sinking to my knees in the grass, not believing what my heart was telling me.

            "Aldrai… is here.  He's always been here.  Him and his magic.  His power.  Ungrateful… all of them…"

            "Please.  What have you done with my pet?"

            "Nothing.  I'm what I am.  Do you not want me Kiddo?"

            "I want my Aldrai!" I cried, "What have you done?!"

            "This is what I am!" he screeched in defiance, to me, to my family, to Neopia, "I am Aldrai!  I am ALDRAI!"

            "No," Un-eairkagh said fiercely, "Our Aldrai would never hurt anyone else.  He would never put his power above other's safety.  He has wings!  White wings!  Not those things!" 

            "I thought I could trust you," Aldrai spat, "Brother.  Traitor.  What have you done to me?  I had white wings.  Now I bear these because Neopia does not care for me and my magic!  Child_dragon!  You are Neopia incarnate.  Why have you done this?"

            "I have done nothing!" I cried, "You aren't what you were Aldrai!  Your magic… you're using it for the wrong reasons.  You've gone too far and now… you're not Aldrai.  You're something else.  Something evil."

            "I am not evil!" he howled, "I knew you wouldn't understand!  You've never understood!  I'll make you understand.  I'll make them all understand.  If my wings must be these than so be it!  We all pay a price for our power and this is mine.  The world will be good, whatever the cost!"

            And he leapt into the air, the light magic gathering around him like a torch.  His eyes went completely white and the power surged through him.

"I am tired of this!" he howled to the sky, "Tired of the hurt.  Tired of the sorrow.  Deealoe killed my mother.  Rycio cursed me.  WeatherWolf betrayed all of Neopia and tried to kill my owner.  His pack tried to kill all of us.  Infernus nearly died.  Melody nearly died.  Child_dragon nearly died.  We ALL nearly died.  AND THAT IS JUST ONE DROP IN AN OCEAN OF SORROW!"

He took a deep breath.

"By what magic I have there shall be NO MORE!"

And he shot into the air, a burning candle flame of raw magic that was quickly lost to my sight.  

I knelt in the grass, stunned.  Aldrai.  My zafara was the one who had caused the explosion.  The one everyone was hunting for.

            'Nobody messes with family,' I thought.

            'Aldrai has fallen.'

            'Aldrai is family.'

            'I'm the Guardian of Neopia.'

            'I protect Neopia against evil.'

            I wrapped my wings around myself and cried.  

            'Nobody messes with family.'


	12. Ties of Love

Ties of Love

            It was time for another child_dragon clan meeting.  We arrived back at the house after the sun had set.  No one cared though.  I imagined the clan would stay up all night if need be.  I sat curled up on a beanbag chair and waited for everyone to arrive.  Sakuko and her pet Netsuko were first.  Then Infernus.  My best friend Melody and her three pets: Padiglione the baby kougra, Swift the faerie gelert, and FireDarkWolfX the green gelert; were the last.  Soon all of us were gathered together again, just like the last time we had gathered to fight the Shadows.  Except Aldrai was missing. 

            Sabreur outlined the problem.  No one spoke.  No one offered suggestions when he was done.  Sakuko had her eyes closed and hugged Netsuko close.  Melody looked stunned.  Padiglione looked ill.  Un-eairkagh had hidden himself behind his wings.  And I stayed silent.

            "So," Sabreur said softly to break the tension.

            "What can we do?" Un-eairkagh said hollowly, "He's not what we knew.  And I for one will not fight my own brother."  

            "He's not listening to anyone…" Netsuko murmured, "The magic has consumed him."

            "Is there any way we can separate him from the magic?" Melody asked.

            "Not without hurting him," I replied dully, "Netsuko is right.  Light magic has consumed him.  I don't think he realizes exactly what he's doing."

            "You mean… he's gone mad?" Infernus asked.

            "Kind of.  The magic has altered his perception of things.  He's paranoid… he thinks everyone is evil.  Too much light magic… he doesn't know how to control it."

            "I had trouble adjusting to my powers," Terraile said softly, "It tried to change me too.  It's just an unbalance between the elements.  Kiddo didn't have that problem because she has all the elements.  But everyone else has to struggle with it."

            Silence fell across the room again.  We were interrupted by a soft pop of someone appearing in the midst of us.  It was Heya, the light faerie.

            "Good.  You're all here together," she said, "Fyora wants to see you.  All of you.  Now."

            Two air faeries appeared on either side of Heya.

            "We'll teleport you there.  Stand up, everyone.  Group together."

            No one moved.

            "What does Fyora want us for so desperately?" Sabreur asked tersely.

            "She'll tell you when she gets there.  Now, com'n, we don't have all night."

            I reluctantly stood and walked closer to the three faeries.  The rest of the group eventually followed suit.

            The two air faeries chanted in unison and the room around us blurred and vanished to be replaced with the stone walls of Fyora's palace.  We were in the anteroom of the castle.  Before us were the great doors leading to the Faerie Queen's throne room.  

            They swung open and we tromped in.  Sabreur was giving everyone and anyone dirty glances.  Fyora was waiting, standing on the dais before her throne.

            "About time," she snapped to me.

            "Hello Fyora," I replied dully.

            "What the heck has been happening?" she demanded, "First that explosion of light power down on Neopia and now there's some Darigan zafara flying around with a very familiar aura.  Where's Aldrai?"

            "Aldrai is the Darigan zafara."

            Fyora was silent.

            "What did you do?"

            "What did _I _do?!"

            "He's YOUR pet!"

            "Whoa, hold up," Melody said hastily, "Let me explain.  Aldrai has been using a bit too much light magic."

            "That's an understatement," Fyora replied coldly.

            Melody ignored the comment.

            "And now it's corrupted him somehow.  He's… turned evil and he doesn't even realize it.  He thinks his actions are good because he's acting through the light magic."

            "So you let it consume him."

            "She didn't let him do anything!" Sabreur snapped, "She tried to warn him!"

            Fyora took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out.

            "Follow me."

            She led us down a series of corridors through the castle.  As we walked, I noticed a disproportionate amount of dark faeries hovering around.  They stayed in little clumps and talked in frightened whispers.  Eventually Fyora stopped before a door and let us into a long room lined with beds.  The hospital wing.

            All the beds save one were empty.  A single faerie was in the wing, apparently asleep.  She was a dark faerie with long purple hair and single streak of green in it.  Jhudora. 

            "What happened?" Un-eairkagh breathed, staring at her.

            "I saw fighting from the tower at Jhudora's cloud.  I gathered what faeries I could and flew out there.  Jhudora was gravely hurt and a Darigan zafara was nearby, lit up with light magic like a torch.  He seemed like he was going to fight all of us but then he saw me.  He bowed and flew away.  We didn't pursue.  Jhudora fell unconscious before we could find out what happened and she's been like this since.  We can't wake her."

            I walked closer to the unconscious faerie.  I never really liked Jhudora but that didn't warrant attacking her.  

            "Of course.  He's going after dark faeries first.  The element opposite him.  And Rycio… he's been scared of dark faeries for a long time now," Netsuko said.

            "So now you see.  Child_dragon.  You are the Essence of Neopia, it is your duty to protect Neopia."

            "I know my duty," I replied softly.

            "Then live up to it.  Stop Aldrai before he hurts anyone else."

            "Nobody messes with family.  I can't harm my own pet."

            "You have no choice!"

            "Didn't you hear her?!" Sabreur snapped, "_Nobody_ messes with family!  Not us, not you, no one!"

            "Aldrai has gone too far," Fyora said coldly, "He has to be stopped."

            "Not in the way you propose."

            "There is no other way!"

            "There is always another way!  Violence begets violence!  Do you remember that?  That was how Kiddo stopped WeatherWolf without killing anyone."

            "This isn't WeatherWolf!  This is a light mage that's allowed himself to be consumed by his power!  You either destroy him, strip him of his power, or let Neopia suffer the consequences."

            "We will not hurt our own family!"

            "He ceased to be family when child_dragon failed to live up to her duties as his owner!"

            "What did you say?" Sabreur asked, deadly quiet.

            "I said: child_dragon failed as an owner."

            I leaned against the wall, trying to hide my tears.  I felt like someone had just plunged a knife in my heart.

            "She is responsible for Aldrai.  Her duty was to help him adjust to how much magic he can channel and guide him to being careful with his powers.  She failed," Fyora continued, seemingly unaware of how much her words hurt, "When someone takes on a pet they also take on the burden of keeping it safe and raising it properly.  Apparently child_dragon cannot handle that and now we all must suffer the price of her negligence."

            "My sister is NOT negligent."

            "Then why is Aldrai flying around Neopia with Darigan wings instead of angel ones?"

            "Stop it," I gasped, "Just stop it!  You've proved your point Fyora.  I couldn't care for Aldrai and now I've got to fix the problem I caused.  Well, if I can't take care of a pet then how do you expect me to stop this now?  Find someone else.  I can't do it."

            "You have no choice."

            "Just shut up," I replied and walked away.  

            I couldn't stop the tears.  My shoulders shook with barely controlled rage.  Too much… too much.

            "Grow up," Fyora called after me, "I thought you were the Essence of Neopia, not some little child."

            "I just lost my pet!" I cried, whirling on her, "He's lost to me and now you tell me I have to kill him!  I won't!  I will not be the person to do it."

            "No one else can!"

            "Then Neopia can die!"

            I turned and ran from the room, ran from the palace.  No one stopped me.  I reached the castle grounds and launched myself into the air.  From there I flew.  I didn't know where, just flew.  But no matter how fast and far I flew the pain would not be left behind.


	13. Believe in Me

_Believe in Me_

            I eventually landed in the Haunted Forest.  I don't know why I picked that place.  I guess I just wanted to be alone.  No one would disturb me here.  I settled myself at the base of one of the trees and wrapped my wings around me.  I had given up on the tears, there was no stopping them.  I just buried my face in the feathery softness of my wings and sobbed.  I cried until it hurt, until my breath was strained and my body ached.  I clenched my hands and gasped with sudden pain as my kougra claws came out and pierced the skin.  I reluctantly folded my wings and healed my hands, the tears gone now for I had none left.  My heart seemed to ache and Fyora's words kept circling through my mind.

            "She's right," I said out loud, "I can't do anything right.  Why am I the Essence?  A miserable little girl that can't even care for her own pets.  I don't deserve them."

            "Oh, a pity party.  May I join?" a familiar voice asked from the shadows.

            I tensed as Count Von Roo stepped out to stand just behind my shoulder.

            "Go away," I snarled.

            "Not yet.  This pet then, he is yours?"

            "My Aldrai.  Yes."

            "So Aldrai has allowed the light magic to overtake him.  And this is your fault?"

            "Yes."

            "Of course.  Because everything in the vorld is your fault.  It's because you can't take care of things, because you are too irresponsible, correct?"

            "Stop mocking me!"

            "I am not mocking you.  I am merely repeating vhat you said earlier."

            "Stop it!"

            "You honestly believe there is nothing you can do?  Aldrai must ve stopped.  I do not know vhat he vill do but I am fearful.  Vampires are not looked kindly upon by anyone."

            "Hurrah for you.  Stop him yourself then."

            "Because you can't?"

            "Because I can't and won't."

            He moved then, with lightning quickness.  Before I knew what has happening I felt his paws tangle in my hair and jerk my head back to expose my neck.  His fangs brushed my skin.  But I moved just as fast.  I seized his cloak and threw.  He smashed into a tree, shattering the wood, and fell heavily to the ground.  He then picked himself up, brushed himself off, and surveyed the smashed tree.

            "Very good.  You see, you vere able to protect yourself and not harm me."

            "But you're a vampire."

            "And Aldrai is more than vhat he vas."

            "Fyora said that the only way to stop him was to kill him or strip him of his power.  And I won't do that."

            The blumaroo snorted.

            "Fyora overreacts.  There are other vays.  Find one."

            "What would you suggest?"

            "I do not know.  He is not my pet.  But vhatever you do, do it fast.  For ve creatures of the night are vorried and vill move to defend ourselves.  I believe you, the Essence of Neopia, vill be able to do something.  Not all share my views."

            "Great.  So the only person who believes in me is a vampire blumaroo," I said sarcastically.

            He smiled softly, his fangs glinting in the faint moonlight.

            "Is that such a bad thing?  A creature that has seen more darkness and evil in his very long life than any mortal believes you are strong enough to overcome this new threat?  No, I vouldn't consider that a bad thing if I vere you…"

            He trailed off, a strange and worried look appearing in his eyes.  Then he gasped and staggered back.  I leapt to my feet.

            "Roo!  What's wrong?"

            "Ahh… he… the fabric of-"

            And then he collapsed.  I rushed over to his side and checked his pulse.  I found none.  

            "No no no no no…" I whispered.

            A nagging thought finally broke free of my subconscious.  He was vampire.  Vampires don't have pulses.  They're undead.

            Feeling like an idiot I placed one hand on his forehead.  The fur was cold beneath my hand but I now realized that was normal.  The ties binding Von Roo to whatever life he had were still intact.  And something else was there too.  Light magic.  

            I studied it closer.  Aldrai's doing.  Von Roo wasn't hurt, just… in an unnatural sleep.  Just the same as the one Jhudora was in.  What was going on?  Aldrai wasn't anywhere nearby.  

            First things first.  I could rationalize all I wanted: Von Roo was evil, he was a vampire, he had hurt others many many times, etc.  But the nagging little voice in my conscience would not let me just leave him here or anywhere else the sun might possibly reach.  Besides, he said he believed in me.

            I flew him to Sabreur's house.  My basement had a window in it so I couldn't leave him there.  Sabreur met me at the door, a strained look on his face.

            "I'm all right, Von Roo here bullied some sense into me," I said to stall any questions.

            I carried the vampire into his living room and towards the basement.

            "Kiddo?  What?"

            "Aldrai is doing something to all evil.  I can't leave him where sun will get him."

            "But my house?!"

            His eyes were slightly bugged and frantic.

            "Oh, don't worry about it.  I'm sure he'll appreciate the fact that I didn't leave him to burn enough to not hurt you when he wakes up."

            "But – I – no…   Would he mind titanium reinforced doors welded shut?"

            "I thought you already had that!" I called up the stairs as I found a corner of the basement not already taken up with stuff.

            "Not the welded shut part!"

            "Whatever," I replied irritably and lay the vampire down.  

            As an afterthought I found a blanket and lay him on that.  No sense on leaving the poor thing on the concrete.

            "He's gonna hate us for this," Sabreur said gloomily.

            "Maybe.  Maybe not.  Before he collapsed he said something about the fabric.  I'm not sure what that meant though.  I think we need to find Aldrai fast though."

            "Your pets are at your house.  Shall we go have another meeting then?  This time one that won't be interrupted by faeries with the temper of a hornet?"

            "Sounds good to me.  You drive?"

            "Certainly."


	14. Darkness in All

Darkness in All

            It seemed everyone who looked at me did so with pity in their eyes.  I had to reassure everyone at least three times that I was fine, that Fyora hadn't upset me too badly.  And that we were going to do something about Aldrai that would not hurt him.  Once the preliminaries were over Lady MoonFall broke the bad news.

            "Terraile collapsed.  She's in her room right now and we can't wake her.  She seems otherwise alright though."

            I nodded grimly and walked over to her room.  Sure enough, she was laying on the bed in a coma, the same as Von Roo.  Aldrai's magic was evident within her.

            I returned to the living room.

            "He seems to be doing something to everyone that's associated with darkness…" I said slowly, "Un-eairkagh.  Turn on the TV."

            Although it was nearly one in the morning an emergency news broadcast was taking place.  The blue aisha reporter stood outside the Neopian hospital where we could see pets being carried in behind her.

            "No cause as to these comas has been located as of yet," the reporter said, "The collapses seem to occur without warning and at random.  Police say they are attempting to contact the faeries but Faerieland has shut itself to outsiders."

            I nodded at my eyrie and he turned the TV off.

            "At random.  Hah," I said bitterly, "Betcha ten to one every pet and person in there has some sort of criminal record or trace of dark magic."

            "That's why Terraile collapsed, isn't it?" Un-eairkagh asked.

            "Yep.  He's doing something to anyone with a trace of evil in them.  But the only problem is: no one is without evil.  Everybody has that little urge to do something wrong.  And Aldrai is blinded to that fact.  So blinded he can't even see the darkness in himself."

            "Too much magic," Netsuko said softly, "You sure you can't cut him off from it?"

            "Not without severing the connection completely.  And I'm afraid the shock will destroy him or burn the talent for magic right out of him."

            "I think we need to find him first," Padiglione said, "Since no one seems to know where he is."

            I nodded in agreement.

            "So far no one has been hurt.  We've been running on no sleep for a long time.  We can't keep this up forever.  I vote we get what rest we can then meet back here at eight to discuss our next course of action."

            No one protested and we slowly broke up the meeting to head to our respective homes.  I wished Melody and Sakuko goodnight before facing my brother.

            "And what if Von Roo wakes up hungry?" he demanded.

            "Oh, just go home," I said with a roll of my eyes.

            I shoved him out the front door and locked it behind him.  Give him a taste of his own medicine for once.  I then slowly climbed up the stairs to my own room.  Un-eairkagh called after me as I was halfway up.

            "I think you're the best owner in the world.  I don't care what Fyora says."

            "Thanks," I replied wearily.

            Sleep came hard that night.  The thoughts just wouldn't leave me alone.  How had this all happened?  Was it really my fault or was Von Roo right?  Was I just blaming myself out of self-pity?  Could Aldrai be saved?  How had he lost control anyways?  Would I ever get my pet back?  Would Terraile and the rest wake up?  

            Like vicious winged birds the questions chased me through the night and into my sleep.  My dreams were haunted by a Darigan zafara with white eyes.  Fyora stood nearby, reciting over and over the words "You've failed.  Failure.  Child.  You've failed."  Von Roo made an appearance.

            "The fabric.  Look what he's doing to the fabric.  I believe in you."

            Their voices melded together.

            "I believe in you failure.  Look at the fabric.  Child of a dragon.  Save them, can't you?  Can you?  Will you?  Won't you?  Why?"

            Then Aldrai again, spotted this time.

            "She's nice," he said dreamily and I saw the hazy outline of Shi'kly, the guardian of the light Elemental Spear shard.

            "She's nice," he repeated, "Don't you understand?  Everyone should be nice.  That's Neopia.  Everyone will be nice.  They'll all understand.  The price to pay.  I don't care about my wings.  You shouldn't either.  Just understand for me."

            His voice merged with the others.

            "Failure.  Child.  Will you?  Fabric.  Understand me.  Can you?  Price.  Failure.  Wings.  Essence.  Failure.  Failure failure failure… Kiddo… Kiddo… KIDDO!"

            I was jerked awake by the last shout.  I blinked and blearily took stock of my surroundings.  The sun was rising, the clock showed almost eight, and MoonFall stood by my bed.

            "You were sleeping," she said reproachfully, "I had to wake you.  Sorry, but I've got some bad news."

            "The fact that it's morning is bad news enough," I grumbled.

            "Well, this is worse.  Get dressed and I'll tell you."

            I sighed and reluctantly found something out of my closet to wear.  Nothing like being woken up to bad news.  I felt like I hadn't slept at all.  The dream still clung to my mind like wisps of a noxious fog.  I shook my head to banish them and headed downstairs to hear MoonFall's bad news.

            "Okay, tell me," I said as I entered the kitchen where she was cooking breakfast.

            She glanced guiltily at the floor and dropped the egg she was holding.

            "I watched the news this morning," she said, "Apparently Aldrai has found himself a base.  He's at the top of some ruined castle in Meridell.  No one can get near it due to the extraordinary amount of magic gathered there.  Plus he's shielding it somehow."

            "Do they know who it is that's doing all this?" I asked fearfully.

            "No.  No names yet.  The faeries are being rather close-mouthed about all this, thank goodness."

            "Alright.  We'll see if we can get to him after we gather."

            "That's not all.  Apparently the spell Aldrai has launched is getting worse.  More pets keep collapsing.  That mynci that likes to break windows down the street fell into a coma sometime last night.  I fear that soon only people like Melody will be unaffected."

            "But even Melody has some wrong in her," I replied, "Everyone will be hit by this eventually."

            "I know.  That's why we've got to figure out what's going on and stop it.  Oh, one last thing."

            "More bad news?  I don't think I can handle much more…"

            "Yes, I know.  And this is the worst."

            I groaned.

            "Alright, let's get it over with."

            She looked at me steadily.

            "Un-eairkagh is gone.  He left sometime in the night.  I think he's gone to confront Aldrai.  Alone."


	15. Twisted Mirror

Twisted Mirror

            Un-eairkagh knew that child_dragon would not approve of what he was doing.  So he slipped out shortly before dawn, taking no weapons, telling no one.  He and Aldrai had always been close and all the eyrie wanted was his brother back.

            "He called me traitor," Un-eairkagh said out-loud as he neared the ruined castle, "Please Aldrai… just listen to me."

            The crumbling stone building sported only one sound structure in the entire heap: a single tower.  At the top of the derelict roof crouched a red shape with huge bat wings.  Aldrai.  Power flickered around him, lighting up the tower like some great candle.  Un-eairkagh flew closer and saw many pets, humans, and faeries gathered near the castle.  Even as he watched one swayed and collapsed.  No one seemed to be taking any action, just milling about in confusion.  A couple pets tried to cross a certain stretch of ground only the be thrown violently back with a burst of light.  Aldrai's barrier.

            "Not gonna stop me," Un-eairkagh growled and soared higher.

            The air currents carried him up above the castle.  Aldrai and his tower was directly below him.

            "Brother!" he cried, and folded his wings.

            He fell, straight down onto the barrier.  It flashed with power but Un-eairkagh did not open his wings to get away.  The magic coursed through him and he screeched in pain.  Then it was gone and he fell, smashing onto the tower roof and sliding to the edge.  At the last minute Un-eairkagh managed to regain his senses and claw a hold on the tower roof.  His hind legs dangled over the edge and he slipped further to falling.  He dug his claws in and looked up to meet Aldrai's vague eyes.

            "What are you doing here?" Aldrai asked in a lilting voice.

            "I came to talk to you," the eyrie gasped.

            "Why?  What more is there to talk about?"

            "Terraile has fallen into that coma.  What are you doing to her?"

            "She'll wake once the evil is gone."

            "What do you mean?"

            "I'm getting rid of all darkness.  Those that have fallen in a coma will wake once it's all gone."

            "But…"

            The eyrie felt his grip slipping even further.  He dug his claws in deeper, straining his muscles to support his weight.  Now only his chest was on the roof.

            "Aldrai… a little help…?"

            But Aldrai wasn't paying attention anymore.  His gaze was fixed out onto the sky and his eyes had faded to white.

            "Aldrai!  Please.  Don't you remember… when Terraile smashed the obelisk?  Not all darkness is evil!  And… what about Deealoe?  You forgave him even though he'd done so much wrong!  Please… Aldrai.  Ah – I'm about to fall off here."

            "Darkness leads to evil," the Darigan zafara said absently, "It's best to just get rid of all of it.  When I'm done there will be no more pain and suffering."

            "You're hurting others though!"

            This time Un-eairkagh saw something.  Aldrai shuddered and the light around him faltered.  Then it coursed through the zafara anew and Aldrai's back straightened.  

            "I knew you wouldn't understand.  Just go.  Brother."

            Aldrai gestured and Un-eairkagh lost his grip on the roof entirely.  He fell and managed to twist in midair.  His wings snapped out and he flared them desperately, but not soon enough.  He hit the ground with a horrible snap and fell on his side as his right front leg gave out under his weight.  He lay there, faint and gasping as pain throbbed up his leg and into his chest.  After a few minutes he reluctantly staggered to his three good paws and examined the damage.  Probably broken.  With a moan he tucked his paw up close to his ruff and limped towards the group of pets just outside the barrier.

            "You got through!" one cried as he exited the protected area, "Why didn't you attack that thing?"

            "Because… violence begets violence…"

            "That's stupid," the pet replied scornfully.

            "Leave him alone," a new voice snapped, a water faerie.

            The crowd reluctantly moved away to leave him and the faerie alone.

            "Here.  Give me your paw," she instructed.

            Un-eairkagh held it out to her and she gently placed one hand on it.  Warmth spread through his injured leg and the pain vanished.  He gingerly put it down and tested his weight on it.  Fine.  Perfectly healed.

            "Thank you," he muttered.

            "What did you find out?" she demanded.

            "Nothing that concerns you."

            "It does concern us!  If child_dragon wasn't-"

            "Shut up!" the eyrie snapped.

            The faerie stiffened.

            "Fine.  But we're going to try to break through that barrier ourselves.  If she won't stop him, we will."

            And the faerie turned and flew off.  Un-eairkagh growled deep in his throat at her back and then leaped into the air, heading back towards Neopia Central.  Child_dragon would be so angry that he went alone.  But perhaps what he learned would make up for it.

****

            Un-eairkagh returned shortly after our second clan meeting had begun.  I was about to yell at him but the look on his face stopped me.  I had never seen my eyrie so serious.

            We sat and listened in silence as Un-eairkagh relayed everything that he'd seen and heard.  

            "How on Neopia could he get rid of all darkness?" Melody asked once he was done.

            "It doesn't seem possible.  Darkness is a part of Neopia; it's one of the central elements.  You can't get rid of it, can you?" Sabreur said.

            I bowed my head and thought.  The fabric… what had Von Roo meant?  Then it came to me.

            "My goodness… he can't – that's insane," I gasped out-loud.

            "What?  What is it?"

            "He's reworking the fabric of Neopia.  That's what this spell is.  He's going to remove the dark element from existence."

            Stunned silence greeted me.

            "But.. that's not possible.  The laws of physics…" Sabreur began.

            "He's re-writing them," I snapped, "But it won't work.  The elements are all joined in me.  As long as I'm the Essence he won't be able to undo that one last thread that keeps darkness in existence."

            "So this spell will fail.  And what then?"

            "It'll rebound on him.  All that power he's unleashed so far – and is yet to unleash – will backlash right onto him.  It'll destroy him.  And it… might even spill over onto everyone that's connected to him through this spell.  It could destroy everyone on Neopia."

            "Surely he knows this!" MoonFall cried.

            "I don't think he counted on me," I said grimly.

            "So what do we do?" Sakuko asked.

            I glanced around the room.  Un-eairkagh was slumped in the corner of the couch, apparently asleep.  I knew with a sinking heart that he wouldn't wake.  Aldrai's spell finally got to him also.

            "Kiddo?"

            I took a deep breath.  They couldn't do anything.  Once again, this was my fight.  And I knew what had to be done.  I would not kill my own pet.  The others… they couldn't know.  

            "You all do nothing.  I'm going to confront Aldrai.  Alone."


	16. Gone Nova

Gone Nova

            My friends and family protested quite loudly at this announcement.  I didn't listen to their arguments, just summoned my spear to hand and started to the door.  Sabreur made it there first and blocked it from me.

            "Get out of my way," I growled.

            He didn't move.  His eyes were set and for a long time we just stared at each other.  When we were younger, my brother and I would have terrific fights that would last for hours.  Neither of us would give an inch to the other.  And it was on the verge of happening again.

            "I said: move."

            "No.  You're not going after Aldrai alone."

            "I have to!  I'm the only one that stands a chance.  I'm the only one that can-"

            I cut off abruptly before I gave away my plan.  They'd never let me go if they knew.

            "So if we interfere it'll mess you saving Aldrai up?"

            "Yes.  And… you may get hurt.  There's gonna be a lot of magic being thrown around…"

            Sabreur sighed.

            "At least wait until night falls.  He'll be weakest then, right?"

            I nodded slowly, seeing the logic in his argument.  It didn't really matter though, but at least it'd make them feel better.  I reluctantly put my spear aside and moved away from the door.  Sabreur nodded and followed me back into the living room.

            "I'll wait until night," I muttered, and tried to pick up the unconscious Un-eairkagh.

            He was too heavy.  Melody came and lifted him by his back paws and I took the front.  Together we were able to stagger over to his room and drop him unceremoniously on his bed.  I gently smoothed out his feathers and followed Melody out of the room.  

            It was an uneasy and tense silence that pervaded the room.  Netsuko finally turned on the TV.  The blue aisha was reporting live from the castle Aldrai had holed up in.  According to the report, the faeries had gathered and were going to try one last ditch attempt to break through to the zafara that was causing all this trouble.

            "No way," Sakuko said, standing, "They can't."

            "They can and will, apparently," I said dully.

            "But – you've already decided to do something!" Sabreur cried.

            I shrugged.

            "I doubt it's what they have in mind."

            "We can't just let them go through with this!  It's insanity."

            "Their necks on the line; not mine."

            "Kiddo!  Stop this.  Whatever happened to your duty as Guardian of Neopia, huh?"

            I winced.

            "Now, these faeries are about to get their pretty little behinds firmly planted into the dirt cause we all know that Aldrai is drawing more power than any sane creature would dare.  And you're just going to sit there and let this happen?"

            I studied the carpet, trying to pretend everyone's eyes weren't on me.  It wouldn't matter what the faeries did after tonight.  Nothing would matter after tonight.  But perhaps Sabreur was right.  I was still the Essence of Neopia and I still had a responsibility to uphold.

            I stood and summoned my spear to hand.

            "Alright.  Let's go join the fight of the century.  Which side shall we be on?" I asked.

            "Our own," Melody said grimly, "Right in the middle.  As usual."

            We took my truck to get to the castle.  The massive amount of weaponry bristling off it ensured that I could drive 90+ mph all the way there without anyone stopping or getting in my way.

            "I thought you added all this to make sure she doesn't get in any more accidents," Infernus said tersely from the back seat.

            "Yep.  And do you see any cars getting remotely close?"

            "That's cause we're going too fast for them to keep up."

            I ignored the two and concentrated on my driving.  

            We reached the staging grounds right as the faeries were falling into line.

            "Fools," I snarled, leaping out of the truck and slamming the door behind me.

            A vast amount of pets and humans blocked my way to the faeries.

            "Move it!" I cried, summoning my spear, "I said: MOVE!"

            A couple people looked over and then quickly dropped aside, startled at that sight of me and my family bristling with weapons.  I ran across the field to the very barrier edge of Aldrai's shield.  Right in between the faeries and him.

            Fyora was there.  She glared at me from the forefront of the faeries.  Not a dark faerie was present.

            "I told you no one messes with family," I said grimly.

            My brother and Infernus moved to stand on either side of me.  Soon Netsuko and Sakuko were also there, along with MoonFall and Melody with her two pets.  Padiglione was missing and I could dimly see the baby kougra slumped over near the truck. 

            "We've got to stop him," she said, glancing up at the tower roof.

            "I know what he's doing and I'm going to stop him myself," I retorted sharply.

            "You've already made it quite clear that you're not going to harm your pet!"

            "There are other ways!" I cried, "This need not end in violence!"

            "I think it's way past the time for talking," she retorted, "You should know that better than anyone."

            I held my ground.  Time to play the trump card.

            "You kill Aldrai," I said slowly, "And his spell rebounds.  I think you can figure out what happens then."

            The faeries shifted uncomfortably behind Fyora.

            "Which makes me glad you're here then, child_dragon," the Faerie Queen said, unperturbed, "You can catch the spell and keep it from rebounding onto everyone else."

            "You're just _using_ her?!" Sakuko cried.

            "If she won't act, we will."

            "I told you: I will stop him myself!"

            But they weren't listening anymore.  Fyora rose into the air and started chanting.  The faeries followed suit.  I bit my lip and watched.  Then a crackling like lightning flashed across the barrier.  The magic vanished.  The faeries had done nothing.

            I turned towards the castle.  Aldrai was hovering in mid-air, power glowing about him.  He had disabled the barrier himself.  My zafara was to join the battle.

            "No!" I cried, leaping into the air.

            I felt hands grab me and I stumbled and fell back, my take-off interrupted.

            "No, Kiddo, stay back," Sabreur grunted.

            "Let me go!"

            "No, he's got a point," Melody said worriedly, "You don't want to be caught in this."

            "He's gone nova," my brother said.

            I paused and felt the currents of magic.  Fyora and her faeries had something going on.  A spell of all the elements except for darkness, directed at Aldrai.  And Aldrai just hovered there, gathering more and more strands of light to him.  I could not tell what he was doing but the more I watched the more I realized Melody had a point.  Something very bad was about to happen and I did not want to be caught up in it.

            The faeries released their spell.  The sky exploded in brilliant colors, a conflagration of magic centered on my zafara.  But before the spell hit him Aldrai _pulled._ The threads of light in the faerie's spell were torn out and gathered around Aldrai, joining his already amassed power.  The faerie's spell fell apart then, missing the strands of light holding it together.  And it rebounded right back onto the casters.

            The faeries were violently thrown back.  Over half simply fell from the air and did not move.  Fyora herself collapsed and for a moment did not move.  But then she shakily stood, her wings visibly trembling.

            "What… what happened?" MoonFall asked in a tiny voice.

            "He ripped the fabric of their spell apart.  Just like that," I said in an awed voice, "He really is rewriting the laws of magic and physics."

            "Are they okay?" Melody asked, watching the fallen faeries.

            "They should be.  Unconscious, hurt, and beaten, but they'll recover," I replied.

            Fyora gave me one last glance before tending to her fallen subjects.  I saw nothing but defeat in her eyes.  She had no hope in me.  I didn't blame her.    


	17. Candles Go Out

Candles Go Out

            We returned to my house in silence.  There was nothing left to do except wait until sundown.  Melody dropped Padiglione off at her house, gently covering the kougra with a blanket until she awakened.

            "Does he really know how much he's hurting us?" she asked me.

            "I doubt it.  He's not like that… but – like Sabreur said – he's gone nova."

            She nodded and returned to the car from which we returned to my house.  

            The faeries failed attempt at stopping Aldrai was being broadcasted and re-broadcasted all across Neopia.  Until the newscaster too joined the countless millions in sleep.  From there the news station went to commercials until someone figured out what to do.  SwiftRiversRunning sighed and turned the TV off.  I noticed Infernus slumped over in a corner.  I just curled up on the couch to wait.  It was indeed getting worse.  I doubted I had much time left.  

            My pets didn't have much time left either.  Lady MoonFall so far seemed fairly safe but she had a rather aggressive and spiteful streak buried within her.  Melody would probably be the last to fall, as would Sakuko and Netsuko.  I didn't know about my brother, I had assumed he would have collapsed with Infernus.   With that thought I realized I hadn't seen him in a while.

            I stood and headed over to the kitchen, from which I heard the most noise.  MoonFall was making lunch with Sabreur's help apparently.

            "I will not be inept, I will not be inept," he muttered, walking past me with a pan full of water.

            "Just follow the directions!" MoonFall called in his direction.

            "There's thousands of microwave meals to choose from," he retorted, "So why on Neopia do we need to cook?"

            "Just because you forget to feed yourself does not mean cooking is unnecessary," she replied.

            My brother was about to reply when his eyes suddenly slid shut.  I caught him as he fell, struggling to lower him to the ground safely.

            "Oh no… Kiddo…" MoonFall said with a gasp.

            "I – I was expecting it," I managed to say, "Just… help me get him up to my room for now."

            Melody came and helped lever my brother onto MoonFall's back.  Together we walked him up the stairs and onto my bed.  Then my uni and friend left me.  I drug my chair over to his side and sat down, watching his sleeping face.  A strange reflection of my own face was there, deluded a bit from when we were children, but still there.  

            "I know you can't hear me," I said softly, "But I'm going to say it anyways.  Cause I didn't get to tell you this before.  And I don't think I'll be able to tell you afterwards.  We've had our disagreements and I've been jealous of you before.  Of how easy things seem to you, how smart you are.  But then sometimes you drive me nuts with your absent-mindedness and logical mind.  Either way, it doesn't matter.  You are who you are and I wouldn't want anyone else for my brother."

            I took a breath and fought back tears.

            "You've been my friend all through life.  When we were little and again when we were teenagers.  Now we're both adults and you're still my best friend.  You helped make me who I am today and your opinion matters more than you think it does.  I am so incredibly proud of you and I hope you can say the same about me.  I hope you know that I love you and count myself the luckiest sister alive."

            I stood and wiped my eyes.  I should have told him that earlier.  Now it was too late and he wouldn't wake until after I was gone.  

            No one really talked to me much after Sabreur fell into the sleep.  I stayed curled up on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around me.  The hours passed and I dozed for a short time.  When I woke it was to MoonFall bringing me dinner with a solemn look on her face.

            "Swifty has fallen asleep.  As has FireDarkWolfX.  There's not much time left.  Kiddo… be careful.  I know I'm next… but… just… be careful.  Do what needs to be done.  Don't do anything stupid."

            "Don't worry MoonFall," I said softly, "I know what to do.  It'll be okay."

            I hugged her and she left to feed the other people staying in my house.  I forced down the meal she'd brought me.  It tasted like ash in my mouth.  

            I slipped into the kitchen and stood in the entrance.  Everyone turned to regard me.

            "I'm off," was all I said.

            They bid me good luck but that was all.  The strain was evident on everyone's faces and no one wanted a long tearful goodbye.  I would either fail or succeed.  If I failed, nothing would matter.  And I did not want to worry them further with what success would mean.

            I flew all the way to the castle, stopping just outside the barrier.  Aldrai was a beacon in the darkness, the light magic a nebulous web surrounding him.  I gathered the darkness to me, wrapping it like a shawl around myself.  And I flew into the barrier.  

            The two elements met with a sound like thunder and then negated each other.  Aldrai's head snapped up and the power around him grew more erratic and frenzied.

            "Aldrai.  It's me."

            He stared at me with pale glowing eyes.  There was madness in them, a madness of magic.  Utterly consumed.  My resolve faltered then.  Was there enough of him left to bring back?

            He rose into the air, flapping his wings slowly.

            "You've come to stop me.  I knew you would."

            "You're plan won't work," I said evenly, "The only way to succeed is to kill me.  You know this is true."

            He was silent, considering my words.

            "Then so be it."

            I smiled grimly.  Step one taken.  Now, everything rests on what happens next.  I summoned the Elemental Spear to hand and flew.  Up, higher into the sky, with Aldrai right behind me.  Up and up, to the clouds.  I then leveled out, far above Neopia, hovering in mid-air.  The Darigan zafara hovered opposite me, trailing light magic.

            "Would you really kill me Aldrai?" I asked quietly, "I thought you would never take a life."

            "That's what must be done, since you won't step aside."

            "I won't step aside because I can't.  To undue darkness would be to undue me.  I am the Essence.  Your plan requires my death.  And are you truly prepared to do this?"

            In response he gestured and the light magic swelled around him.

            "Very well then Aldrai," I said with bowed head, "I gave my life to you when I dove into the river.  I gave it again when I fought the Shadows.  And I give it now so that you may be saved from yourself."

            His eyes grew confused for a moment and then the light magic took over.  He gestured sharply and shouted a word of power.  The full force of the spell hit me.  I did not fight back.  I let it strike, the light magic wrapping around me, through me.

            I could not breathe.  There was no pain, just light.  Pure, unfiltered, light.  It coursed through me destroying everything it touched.  I could not breathe.  My heart beat as if it were to burst.  And just as I knew the magic would destroy me utterly I heard a shriek of anguish.

            The light stopped.  I hovered in midair, suspended by the very same power that had just torn through me.  I could see nothing.  There was pain now, unimaginable pain tied with a numbing cold that told me that soon all pain would be gone.  

            "Child_dragon!  Your life… given… aih!  What have I done!?"

            I struggled to open my eyes.  Through a red haze I could see Aldrai.  His head was thrown back, every muscle in his body trembling.  And his fur was orange spotted black with angel wings.

            The light magic around him twisted and seethed like a thing alive.  He gasped and slowly, slowly, brought it under control.  Then he turned to look at me.

            "I – I lost control.  I can't… can't stop it."

            I could not reply.  There was blood in my lungs and in my mouth.

            "I know what you're trying to do," he said softly, looking at me with terror in his eyes, "It worked, but only for a moment.  I – I almost killed you… I will kill you if… I know you want to save me.  But I can't be saved.  It's too late.  Too much power… my fault… You can't bring me out of it."

            He was himself again.  That was accomplished.  Darkness hovered on the edges of my vision and I knew there wasn't much time left.  But I could not speak, could not move.  I desperately clung to life knowing that I had no chances left.  Aldrai must break free completely or my sacrifice to snap him out of the nova would be wasted.  And all darkness would die.

            "I'm sorry Kiddo.  I love you, you know that.  I won't hurt anyone else anymore."

            I gasped and tried to speak.  Then I saw the edges of his eyes turn white with power and I knew that his control was slipping.  

            "Aldrai…"

            "I won't hurt anyone else…" he whispered.

            And his fur deepened to red and his wings turned to Darigan.

            And the magic holding me fell.  I could not stop my fall.  My wings were ruined, worthless.  I was dying.  The magic had destroyed me.  And this time there was no Un-eairkagh to catch me.

            Darkness reached for me.  Tired… too tired to keep fighting.  At least I would be gone before the end of my fall.


	18. Swallowed Up

Swallowed Up

            _"Still no sign then?"_

_            "Of what?"_

_            "Life.  Hope.  Anything."_

_            "Neither.  Everyone's rejoicing because they don't know what price our salvation was wrought…"_

_            "And even if they knew – "_

_            "Would they care?"_

            The darkness was all there was.  Darkness and nothingness.  That was all there was, all there ever would be.

            _"It's been over two weeks now."_

_            "If you're asking me to give up hope then think again."_

_            "I'm not asking you to give up hope.  I'm asking you to be realistic."_

_            "I am being realistic.  I will not give up either of them."_

Sometimes there were glimmerings of things in the darkness.  Figments of the past.  Shadows of what was, perhaps.  But they were just as quickly glimpsed and just as quickly gone.

            _"I never told you how much I love you.  I wish I had.  I still have that white feather – from when we fought the Shadows..  You never knew I had it but I do.  I kept it and it keeps me strong."_

The glimmerings are getting stronger now.  I – that is strange – I am able to make out shapes now.  And this I – I have no memory.  But I am defiantly an I now.  I do not know what that means.

            _"Keep fighting.  I know you can.  You never gave up then, you can't give up now."_

_            "She can't hear you."_

_            "What makes you think that?  Science?"_

_            "Yes.  I thought you lived by science."_

_            "No.  I live by the ties of family.  And I know she can hear me.  Wake up Kiddo… please."_

            Kiddo.  The name seems almost familiar.  The glimmerings are getting stronger.  I can almost tell who they are.  It is just there, on the edge of my reach.  I stretch out my hand to grasp them but fall just short.  I feel like I will never get there and wonder if I should just give up.

            _You can't give up._

            But I can.  

            _They need you. **He** needs you._

He?

            _The zafara.  The one you tried to save.  We have him here with us.  Come find us and find him.  He needs you._

It's gone now.  But I reach out my hand and try to reach across the gap again.  And this time I make it.

            "Melody!  Come' mere!  Hurry!"

            The voices are painful to hear.  But somehow there is a swell of joy just to hear them.  I can feel now and behind the darkness is light.  I open my eyes and the light nearly blinds me.  I close them again.  I can feel someone holding my hand and I vaguely remember the voice as Sabreur's.

            "Kiddo!  You awake?  Can you hear me?"

            "Y-yes," I say, "I'm awake now."

****

            It was a long time before I was fully awake.  The doctors were in and out constantly.  At least one family member was by my bed at all times.  When I finally came to fully it was Terraile.

            "Hiya," I said weakly, opening my eyes to take in the pristine whiteness of a hospital room.

            There were flowers by my bed.

            "Kiddo," my shoyru said tearfully, her eyes alight, "Are you okay?"

            "Ngh, I hurt.  Is it safe to sit up?"

            "Yes.  You're all healed, just really really weak right now."

            She hurried to my side as I struggled to bring myself to a sitting position.  There was an IV in my arm and a stupid breathing tube in my nose.  I took that one out but refrained from touching the IV.  

            "How long was I out?" I asked.

            "Bordering on three weeks now."

            I sat there, stunned.  Three weeks…

            "The doctors thought you wouldn't wake up at all."

            "I heard them."

            A funny look came across her face.

            "You heard everything that was going on around you…?"

            "No.  I just remember voices.  I don't know what they were saying though."

            Terraile smiled grimly.

            "Sabreur will be glad to hear that.  He was about to swear off science the last time the doctors told him there was no sense in talking to you for hours on end."

            "Hours…?"

            "Hours and hours.  He'd just sit and talk… it was as if he were going to bring you back through sheer determination."

            "What… exactly happened?"

            "Well, you fell.  You hit a lake instead of solid ground which I think is the only thing that saved you.  As it was, you were very badly injured.  Very, very badly.  A normal person would never have survived the fall to begin with… the fact that you're the Essence is the only thing that saved you.  That and the faeries.  Fyora looks like she's had a nice healthy dose of humble pie.  They worked non-stop for nearly a week after you fell to save you."

            "So the faeries healed me then."

            "Yes.  And then we just waited for you to wake up."

            "And what happened to Aldrai?"

            Terraile took a deep breath.  When she spoke again her voice was strangely hushed.

            "No one really saw what happened.  We could only guess.  People saw someone in the sky get hit by light magic – a lot of it.  That must've been you.  Then it vanished and all the power Aldrai had accumulated faded.  A couple minutes passed and he flared up again.  Then you fell from the sky.  A couple seconds after you started falling the entire sky lit up with this shockwave of light magic.  It was centered around Aldrai.  Then it all retreated in, like Aldrai was sucking the power to him.  At that instant every light in Neopia went out.  And everyone who had fallen into a coma woke up.  Just like that; in an instant."

            "What happened then?"

            "Well, Aldrai went into a nosedive.  It was like a comet falling from the sky.  All the power he'd gathered was trailing around and behind him.  He hit the ground… and the earth… swallowed him up.  There's been nothing since then."

            I took a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. 

            "I-I'm sorry Kiddo."

            "No, it's okay," I said slowly, "He's still alive.  I know he is.  And I think we can get him back."

            She looked at me, puzzled.

            "I'll explain later.  Just trust me on this.  What I did wasn't in vain."

            "I'm glad.  We were really worried for a while there.  I'll go call the others.  They'll want to see you – now that you're awake."


	19. Back to the Darkness

_Back to the Darkness_

Sabreur was the first to arrive.  He seemed torn between joy and annoyance.

"Are you okay?" I asked gingerly.

"You see this!?" Sabreur howled, pulling his collar down to reveal two small cuts on his neck, "Von Roo woke up hungry!  And he went after me first opportunity he got!"

            "Oh.  Sorry," I said weakly, "Whadya do?"

            "Tried to stab him with the stake I brought along just in case.  Then he kind of snapped out of it, backed off, apologized, and inquired of your health."

            "And…?"

            "Well, I told him to get the heck out of my house before I turned him into an oversized toothpick holder.  But if you want, I'll let him know you're awake.  From a distance.  With plenty of holy water and garlic at hand.  And a flamethrower.  Just for kicks," he added thoughtfully.

            "Are vampires even flammable?"

            "Anything's flammable if you try hard enough!"

            I smiled despite myself.  This was the Sabreur I knew and loved all right.

            "I really wish you'd told me what you planned to do," he said seriously.

            "And if I had told you, would you have let me do it?" I retorted.

            "No.  And that's the point.  Did you really manage to save Aldrai?"

            "I snapped him out of his madness.  Now we just have to find him."

            "Neopia swallowed him up."

            "So I heard.  But we'll find him."

            My brother grinned.

            "Good!  I thought you'd say that.  I've been digging up anything involving the underground I could.  You wouldn't believe how poorly documented most of Neopia is.  So I've had to do a bit of my own research."

            "And what have you found?"

            He settled on the chair next to the bed.

            "The Neopian underground is amazingly vast.  About ninety percent of it is unmapped and the maps that do exist are horribly dated.  The few texts that I could find contain very little information about what is down there.  I've stumbled across a few references to something called Infernals, but I have no idea what it is.  We'll be going in blind."

            "Do you think I'll be able to guide us?"

            "That's what I was hoping for.  The doctors want you to stay in the hospital for at least another week.  Gotta rest and all."

            I was about to say more but Melody entered trailed by her and my pets.  From there everything dissolved into confusion.  

            "I'm so glad you're alright –"

            "We took turns watching – "

            "Gotta see the remains of the castle – "

            "How long you gonna be in here?"

            " – ready to smack those idiot doctors before – "

            "The faeries were a big help – "

            I could hardly get a word in edgewise.  Finally I managed to get everyone calmed down.

            "Alright.  Alright!  I'm glad to be back," I said with a grin, "Now.  We're going after Aldrai as soon as I get outta this hospital."

            Everyone grinned and spread out to find what perches they could.

            "I don't remember much from when I was in the coma but I do remember one thing: another presence was there.  It was vaguely familiar but I can't quite tell who – or what – it was.  But he – or she, or whatever – said that they had Aldrai.  And that to find Aldrai we had to find them.  So… someone or something has got Aldrai.  And I betcha we'll find them underground."

            A small cough from the door interrupted us.  A green gelert wearing a lab coat stood near the entrance.

            "Visiting times over," the gelert said sharply, "You all can't be in here at one time anyways.  Didn't you read the restrictions on visiting patients in intensive care?"

            "Yes.  And we decided they're bogus," Un-eairkagh retorted sharply.

            But everyone reluctantly stood and made to leave.

            "We'll come back tomorrow," Melody promised.

            "Alright."

            Amidst a flurry of goodbyes everyone eventually straggled out the door and away down the hall.  The gelert doctor gave me a reproachful look as if this was all my fault.  Then he too walked away.

            I slept for a couple hours then.  When I woke it was night out.  My room was dark and the curtains to the window were drawn.

            "Good to see you again," a soft voice murmured from the shadows.

            "Von Roo?" I said softly, surprised that I hadn't sensed him, "How'd you get in here?"

            "I can pass by unseen quite easily, as you vell can imagine."

            "I should have sensed you," I said crossly.

            "No, you shouldn't have.  You are still very veak from the fight."

            "If you say so.  And are you recovered?"

            "Quite."

            The blumaroo moved closer so that I could actually see his form in the darkness.

            "I apologize for attacking your brother.  But I was hungry and sometimes I cannot control my instincts."

            "It's alright.  He needs a bit of excitement every now and then anyways."

            The vampire nodded slightly and remained quiet.

            "What do you know of Aldrai?" I asked.

            "No more than you.  I stay avay from the underground.  I cannot aid you here."

            "You've done quite a bit already."

            "I do not usually help mortals.  It is a strange thing for me to do so… in all rights, I should not even be here.  But I vanted to see if you vere truly awake."

            "I am.  Did Sabreur tell you?"

            "He did.  From a safe distance vith plenty of veaponry."

            "I imagine so."

            The vampire moved in the darkness, turning away as if to leave.

            "Von Roo?"

            "I am going.  I do not associate vith mortals.  It is only extraordinary circumstances that has forced me to do so now.  I… do not think ve shall meet again.  You are human.  I am vampire.  Farewell… child_dragon."

            "Farewell… and thank you."

            He stopped and turned to face me again.  I could not see his face.  He drew his cloak back and bowed formally, a gesture from a long-forgotten era.  Then he vanished into the night.  And I knew if we ever met again it would be as hunter and prey.  Our time of friendship was over.


	20. Remembrance

Remembrance

It was indeed a full week before I was finally released from the hospital.  I'm not sure if they were sorry to see me go as Un-eairkagh received quite a few dirty looks as we exited.  Sabreur drove us all to my house.  No one broached the topic of what we were going to do next.  I was grateful, I needed time to rest some more before tackling our next quest.  

            The house was just as I'd left it.  MoonFall had done extra work keeping it stocked with food and clean for my arrival.  Sakuko mentioned that she'd helped with the shopping and Sabreur had managed finances while I was gone.

            "He nicked your ownership papers shortly after," she explained, "So he had all the rights to your stuff and pets.  I think he's put them back now so they'll be where you usually keep them."

            "Which is…?" I prompted.

            "Beats me.  Just because he knows where they are doesn't mean he's not careful with them.  

            I nodded.  It was good to know I had a brother that was trustworthy with my pets and house.

            The next day, at my pet's insistence, we headed out to the castle where I had fought Aldrai.  Our first stop was the lake I had fallen into.

            "One of the nearby pets dove in after you," MoonFall explained, "it was a peophin.  She drug you out onto shore and from there the faeries took over."

            I stared at the lake with a disquieting feeling in my heart.  We didn't linger there long.

            Our next stop was the castle itself.  The thing was nothing but rubble now.  Collapsed entirely to the ground.  Much of the rock was scorched, as if a fire had burnt there.

            "It fell shortly after Aldrai's spell was lifted," Un-eairkagh said softly, "Here.  There's one more spot you should see."

            Not too far from the lake and castle was a section of ground where no grass grew.  It was blackened and blasted for about a ten foot radius.  In the center was a scar on the earth's surface.

            "This is where Aldrai fell.  The earth just split apart and then sealed itself back up.  No grass will grow here."

            I walked forwards and knelt near the scar.  There was power soaked into the soil.  I could feel it saturating the soil nearby and burrowing deep into the earth.

            "We can find him," I said sharply, "I can feel the trail of power he left.  We'll just follow that."

            "It's still there…?  After all this time?" MoonFall asked in a hushed voice.

            "It's 'cause there's so much power," Terraile said, "Remember, Aldrai lost all control over his magic.  He was trying to rework the very fabric of Neopia.  The remains of that attempt will probably be etched here forever."

            "Magic is like the landscape," I explained, "When a volcano erupts, it changes the surroundings around it.  The same is here.  This spot is not only a hot point for light magic now but it's also affecting the nearby currents.  I wish I could've seen the currents before this place settled out…"

            "It was wild for a couple days," Terraile said, "Some areas have been totally reworked.  Sent the faeries into a tizzy."

            "I can imagine."

            It was then I noticed a couple candles set in the dirt nearby.  Some were burning.  Flower petals also lay near the candles.

            "What's this?" I asked, walking closer.

            "Remembrance," Terraile said softly, "No one is really sure what happened with the zafara, but they do know that he regained control of himself and went into this dive before he lost it again.  They pity him now and seek to honor the sacrifice he made to save those he had hurt."

            "And what do they say of me?" I asked.

            "You are not even mentioned," Terraile said with a worried expression.

            "For the best, I imagine," I said with a sigh, "Heroes are always better as a memory than as a real person."

            We returned home after that.  Sabreur and Sakuko were in my kitchen, drawing up plans of what we'd need for the journey underground.

            "Who all is coming, anyways?" I asked.

            "Everyone," Sabreur replied.

            "Everyone?  Then who is going to watch the house when we're gone and all…?"

            "We won't need to.  Just lock the doors and ask the neighbors to bring in our mail.  Nothing different than a vacation."

            I sighed and joined the two at the table.  Sabreur was sitting there with the accumulated info about the underground about him.  Sakuko was writing up a list of supplies.

            "What do I need to do?" I asked.

            "Head to Neopia Central with Melody and buy all this junk when we're done," Sakuko replied.

            "And I'll head over to the Virtupets Space Station to buy all the equipment I'll need," Sabreur added, "Got some new inventions I think will help."

            He shoved a pile of papers towards me.  I picked one up and started studying the diagram.  

            "Capacitors… wiring… resistors… I know that symbol… that's batteries… but I don't recognize that one from my high school physics class.  What is this exactly?" I asked.

            "A really big flashlight," Sakuko said.

            Sabreur gave her a put-out look.

            "No, it's a lamp.  One powerful enough to suffice for all twelve of us.  I call it the Halogen 3000."

            "It's a really big flashlight," I said and handed the design sheets back.

            "It's not a really big flashlight!  It's going to be the size of a wristwatch."

            "So it'll be a really _powerful_ flashlight."

            "Yes!"

            "Big, powerful, what's the difference?"

            "Big refers to size.  Power refers to voltage.  There IS a difference."

            Sakuko snorted in laughter and I rolled my eyes.  Sabreur looked mildly annoyed and returned to his planning.

            Melody and I took an entire day to shop.  We brought along all our pets to help.  Sakuko and Netsuko went with Sabreur and Infernus to the space station.  We were planning to leave in two days time.  Sabreur affirmed that that would be long enough to allow him to build what he needed built.

            "Okay, so we've got the backpacks for everyone, the food supplies, and the canteens for water," I said, "Weaponry is already taken care of so we need healing potions now."

            "Are we going to be able to carry all this?" Melody asked.

            "Certainly.  Just think of it as a camping trip.  Without tents.  We won't need those underground."

            "I don't camp much."

            "That's okay.  You'll be fine."

            "Isn't there a book along the lines of what we're doing?" Terraile asked.

            "Yes.  My dad read it to Sabreur and me when we were in kindergarten," I replied, "Journey to the Center of the Earth.  I didn't like it much."

            "Kindergarten…" Lady MoonFall spluttered.

            "I was an odd kid growing up…" I replied softly.

            "We've always known that," Un-eairkagh chimed in.

            I tactfully ignored him and moved on to the next item on our list.


	21. Into the Deep

Into the Deep

            We were ready to go.  The supplies were packed.  One backpack per person.  I was dressed in a good pair of hiking jeans and a long-sleeved shirt borrowed from Sabreur's closet.  Mine were all too girly for a trip underground.  It was one Sabreur wasn't too fond of, as I had to cut slits in the back to allow for my wings.  My backpack rested in between the two which made folding the snowy white eyrie wings a bit difficult.  I managed though.

            Terraile carried a pack with her quiver of arrows slung down to her side.  Her bow was in her hand.  Un-eairkagh had also moved his Sinsis Sword from his back to the side of his backpack.  His dark battle duck hung from a belt alongside his green scorchstone.  His gait had changed a bit, he now kind of swayed from side to side from the weight on his back.  MoonFall was the last to show of my crew.  She had braided her mane and tail into countless smaller braids.  Her mane was tied close to her neck to keep it out of the way and her tail had been folded to shorten it considerably.  Her backpack was actually just saddlebags.  I helped adjust them as her request, refraining from commenting about her hair.

            "I wanted it out of the way," she said softly at Un-eairkagh's inquiring look.

            "No, that's understandable," Un-eairkagh replied, "But why are you wearing _that?_"

            I looked at my uni again.  Resting on her brow was something I'd never seen her wear before.  A slim gold coronet with a diamond set in the middle.

            "It's the Fallen Crown," my uni said with her head down, "Passed from queen to queen in my family for ages.  The diamond is said to have fallen from the sky.  It will light up with a word from someone of royal blood.  I thought it might come in handy underground."

            "You're probably right," I replied, casting Un-eairkagh a glance meant to keep him from asking MoonFall anymore questions.

            I knew she disliked her ancestry.

            Sabreur and Infernus were the next to arrive.  My brother was dressed in a long sleeved shirt and hiking boots.  His rapier was on his belt along with a couple of his improved firebombs.  A harness across his chest held more weapons, throwing stars mostly and a couple more improved firebombs.

            "The stars burst into light when you throw them," Sabreur explained, "They're kind of like a flare.  I've got a couple of those too, on the side of my pack."

            A single orb was hanging off the back of his backpack and I assumed that to be the Halogen 3000.  Infernus stood nearby, his sword also on his waist.  He was armed the same as Sabreur and the two looked strangely like twins.  

            Sakuko and Netsuko were next, Sakuko carrying just her backpack and Netsuko a backpack and bow.  Melody and her three pets arrived shortly after.  Melody carried a walking stick that would easily double as a staff and Padiglione wore dual daggers strapped to her front legs.  Her three pets, not being hampered by wings, were able to wear a special kind of backpack, one designed for four legged creatures.  It was two packs that strapped around the pet's middle and rested on the sides instead of the back.  It provided for balance unlike Un-eairkagh's pack which was firmly between his wings.

            "We ready?" I asked softly, tightening the straps on my own backpack.

            Everyone nodded.  I smiled grimly and led the way out to the cars.  

            There were many entrances to the Neopian underground.  One of the closest was the Catacombs in Neopia Central, but that one wouldn't take us to the tunnels we needed.  Instead, we took a cave system near Kiko lake.  The entrance was amidst a cliff bluff near the lake.  I took my car off-road to get as close as possible before we left it behind.  I found a secluded area partly obscured by trees and underbrush and parked there.

            "Will it be okay while we're gone?" I asked my brother.

            "We will if you put it on auto-protect."

            He flipped a switch and all but two computers shut down.  The hum of the engine faded to just a slight buzz.

            "There.  Nobody will dare touch your car now."

            "I pity the first person who tries," Melody murmured.

            I walked towards the cliff bluff, leaving the car behind.  Everyone followed.  We found the cave entrance with little difficulty.  It was a narrow opening behind an outcropping rock.  I managed to squeeze through with little trouble.  Un-eairkagh had some trouble and Padiglione made smart remarks about him gaining weight.

            "Watch it or I'll buy you a bib and bottle," the eyrie retorted sharply.

            The baby kougra merely sniggered and showed all her pointy teeth.

            It was only a few feet before the light from outside faded.  Sabreur activated his Halogen 3000.  The surrounding area was quickly illuminated by soft white light.  Our shadows were cast in vivid relief against the gray walls.  Lady MoonFall spoke a single word of power and her coronet flared up with a gentle yellow light, providing more light and eliminating some of the shadows we cast.  I led the way, my Elemental Spear in hand.  The going was hard as I had to take it slow.  My spear cast it's own light and I traveled with the point low and close to the ground.  The floor changed levels suddenly and at times the walls and ceiling took sharp twists.

            "Would not be a bad time to mention I have a touch of claustrophobia?" Un-eairkagh said in a tiny voice.

            "Yes," Melody, Sabreur, and I said in unison.

            Time lost all meaning in the darkness.  The tunnels would widen and narrow, at times being wide and tall enough for us to walk four abreast, at other times so small we had to go single file on our hands and knees.  Sabreur had mapped out a route to take us close to the area where Aldrai had dove into the earth.  From there, I would lead.

            After what was probably several hours Sakuko called for a rest in a large cavern.  I found a spot where the rock sloped and dropped my backpack, laying out on the gently inclined surface.  Others found similar resting places and collapsed.  Sabreur placed his pack in the middle of the cavern and turned the power on the lamp up some.  The walls were illuminated and the shadows banished.  All around us were stalagmites and stalactites.  The wall themselves were inlaid with crystal at several portions which glittered with black and purple in the light. 

            "I wonder if anyone has ever seen this place before," Terraile said in a hushed whisper.

            "I imagine so.  It is on the maps after all," Sabreur replied, "But we will be hitting areas that no one has ever seen in a couple days."

            "It kinda makes you feel small, doesn't it," Un-eairkagh said in a strained whisper, "Like you're invading this place.  And the silence…it feels like it's just watching you."

            "Don't think about it," Netsuko said sharply, "You'll go mad if you do.  Just don't think about it."

            No one really talked much after that and I eventually decided it was time to move on.  We had at least one more day of travel before we reached the place where Aldrai fell.


	22. Shadows in Shadows

Shadows in Shadows

            Sabreur kept track of time for us.  Around five o clock he called a halt for dinner.  We had trail rations, dried food that didn't need reheating.  It was bland and tasteless.

            From there we traveled for a couple more hours before finally stopping for the night.  We found a decent sized cavern, one that would allow us to spread out and rest.  Sabreur studied the walls as I lay out my sleeping bag.

            "See how the rock changes color here," he said, "the brown here is probably some kind of sandstone.  And this… not sure what this is.  But each color represents a different period of the earth."

            "Are we really that deep?" I asked.

            "I think so.  The air's getting hotter, you noticed?"

            "I did.  Warm and muggy."

            "We're probably approaching an underground lake.  That's where the mugginess is coming from.  Another couple days.  Then we'll be off the map."

            The thought wasn't reassuring.  We drew straws for who took what watch.

            "Is this really necessary?" asked Melody, who managed to draw midnight watch.

            "The texts mentioned that there are things down here," Sabreur said grimly, "And I for one don't want to be surprised in my sleep.  Besides, there's enough of us here that each person's watch only lasts for an hour."

            I had the second watch.  The ground was hard and the sleeping bag barely made any difference.  I had laid mine out near the entrance to the cave with the Elemental Spear at hand.  Sabreur and Infernus had taken the spot near the exit.  Un-eairkagh quickly caught on to what we were doing and moved his sleeping spot next to me.

            "If something comes in the night I want to be able to help," he whispered, loosening his Sinsis sword in its sheath.

            "Alright.  I doubt anything will happen though."

            "Just in case."

            It seemed I had just fallen asleep when Netsuko was shaking me awake.  She smiled and returned to her bed without another word.  My shift.  Sabreur's light was dimmed and placed near the center of our group.  I took a spot near the wall that would allow me to watch both entrance and exit.  I briefly considered putting up wards to let me know if anything was coming but then quickly dismissed the thought.  Some things were attracted by magic.  Best not draw them to us.

            My watch passed uneventfully.  I did not allow myself to think about where we were and what could be out there.  And about the ever-present and crushing darkness.  When it was time I woke MoonFall and retired to my bed.  I fell asleep immediately.

            I dreamed.  There was darkness all around me but there was something in the darkness.

            "So you are trying to find him," a voice said.

            The voice was familiar.

            "You.  You were with me when I was in the coma."

            "I was," he answered, "Without me you might not have ever made it back."

            "I know.  Who are you?  And why did you help me?"

            "My name is Shi'tri.  I helped you because you are my ally, if you realize it or not."

            "Show yourself."

            A man appeared out of the shadows.  He was tall with long jet black hair flowing over his shoulders.  His eyes where black also.  He wore all black, mostly hidden under a long trench coat.

            "How are you here, in my dream?" I demanded.

            "You'd best turn back now," Shi'tri said seriously, his hands folded behind his back, "For your own good."

            "But… you said to find Aldrai!"

            "I did.  To give you hope, so you wouldn't give up.  But now that you're awake… well, I must be honest.  There is no hope.  Aldrai is quite lost to you.  Go home.  You're wasting your time."

            "I won't!"

            "Then don't hold me responsible for what happens."

            He bowed and faded from sight.

            "Wait!  Come back!" I called, "Who are you?  And what do you want?"

            But there was no answer.

            I was woken by FireDarkWolfX.  He didn't say anything, just moved on to wake the others.  I gathered up my things and joined the rest for a quick breakfast of more trail rations.  I checked our water supply next.  Quite fine, we'd be good for the next couple days.  And hopefully we'd come across that underground lake Sabreur had mentioned the previous day.

            A couple pets in our group chatted as we walked.  I couldn't tell who it was.  I was up at the front with Sabreur, trying to find the safe way through.  He had the map out and was consulting it every few minutes.

            We continued in this form for the rest of the day.  One quick stop for lunch and then we moved on.  Sabreur mentioned that we had passed the underground lake and I asked if we should double back to stop by it.

            "No, I don't think we can get to it just yet.  We're just having some of the humidity travel up here through vertical shafts we can't go through.  We'll hit it on our way down, I'm sure."

            "We have to go deeper?" SwiftRiversRunning chimed up from the middle of the group.

            "Yes.  We're only a couple miles below the surface right now.  Once we reach where Aldrai fell we'll be able to follow his trail as deep as it goes."

            Shi'tri's words came back to me.  I brushed them aside.  I would not turn back.  I got a better grip on my spear though.  He'd good as warned me that something would happen if we kept going.  I would have to let everyone know about that sometime.  Not yet though, but before we reached the scar in the earth.

            We didn't make it before we had to stop for the night.  The same routine followed, drawing for shifts and the strongest fighters taking the entrances and exits.  There were three tunnels leading out this time.  I took one, Sabreur and Infernus the other, and Terraile and Un-eairkagh the third.  I had the third watch after midnight.

            I didn't dream that night and nothing happened during my watch.  As we were packing up the next morning though Padiglione broke the silence.

            "I thought I felt something watching us last night," she announced, "But I wasn't sure and nothing happened.  So I didn't wake anyone.  It might have been my imagination."

            "Maybe not," I said softly, "I had a dream the other night and the person who spoke to me when I was in a coma was there.  He said he'd lied to me just to get me out of the coma and that there was no sense in going to find Aldrai.  He hinted that something might try to stop us."

            "And you're just now telling us?" Sakuko said accusingly.

            "Um.  Yeah," I said sheepishly.

            She sighed in dramatic exasperation and returned her attention to breakfast.

            No one really talked when we started out.  I noticed everyone was keeping a better lookout on our surroundings and side passageways though, and that everyone's hands hardly strayed from their weapons.  I even stretched out my magical senses to see what was around us.  If it attracted something, so be it.  At least I would be forewarned.  There was indeed something there.  I only felt it for a couple seconds before it faded from my senses.  Apparently it had felt me searching and hidden itself somehow.  I could not tell what it was but I detected no outright hostility.

            "We're being followed," was all I said.


	23. What no One has Seen Before

What no One has Seen Before

            We reached the spot of Aldrai's fall about an hour later.  I stopped short as the tunnel widened out into a vast open area.  My friends gathered around me on the outcropping.  The area was immense.  Light magic coated the walls of the cave, jagged and sheer.  The shaft was newly formed as time had not yet dulled the edges.  I looked up and saw only a stone ceiling far above us.  The shaft itself was wide, about the width of a house.  It plunged deep into the earth.  I knelt by the edge and looked over.  I could not see the bottom.  Just an inky hole of nothingness.

            "What now?" Terraile asked.

            "We have two options," Sabreur replied, "Try to follow the tunnels down.  That might lead us to the underground lake but there's no guarantee we'll be able to find the right way further down.  Or we follow this shaft itself."

            "Meaning…?" 

            "We fly," I replied, quickly counting up the ratio of flyers to non-flyers, "Swifty, you carry Padiglione.  Terraile, you can carry Netsuko.  Infernus, you carry Sabreur.  Un-eairkagh, you take Melody.  Moonfall, you carry Sakuko.  Do you think you can managed two pets, MoonFall?"

            She glanced over at FireDarkWolfX.

            "Sakuko isn't that heavy," she said slowly, "If it's only a glide down then yes, I should be able to manage.  Why can't you carry him?"

            "I'll be scouting ahead."

            "Shouldn't you stay with us in case of attack?" Melody asked.

            "Infernus and Sabreur know how to fight in the air," I said, "Melody will be on Un-eairkagh's back so he'll still be able to maneuver.  Those that can't fight and fly will just have to stay out of the way.  If you do get attacked Terraile can contact me and I'll get back to you.  Since I'm the most powerful, I'll be safest alone.  Make sense?"

            There were agreeing nods all around.  I walked to the very edge of the outcropping and spread my wings.

            "There's not much room to maneuver, so take it slow.  Glide down," I instructed.

            And I leapt off the edge.  

            Even with the glow of my Elemental Spear the darkness was crushing.  I could barely see the walls, much less what was below me.  I took it at a controlled half-fall, staying close to the center.  Every now and then I'd encounter a side tunnel branching off but there was no sign of anything else.  I could see the faint glow of Sabreur's Halogen 3000 above me but that was all.  I was alone.  The light from the lamp did not reach me.

            I continued falling for what seemed like ages.  My wings were starting to hurt from the constant strain when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.  I twisted in midair just in time to bring my spear up to parry the attack.

            It was a korbat, but like none I had ever seen.  It had no fur and its skin was a bleached white.  Its eyes were huge and pale and its teeth viscously sharp.  It reminded me forcibly of the deep sea fish that never saw light of any kind.  I yelled in shock and disgust and smashed the butt of my spear into it.  It screeched and was thrown back to smash against the side of the shaft.  It fell and recovered.  A second korbat slammed into me from behind and I free-fell for a bit until I managed to right myself.  By then a third korbat was on me.  I twirled my spear and slammed it against the wall.  The two other korbats kept their distance and I flew up to meet them head on.  The scattered out of my reach and I snarled in frustration.  Then I felt sharp claws rake my thigh.  I kicked and there was a crunch as my hoof connected with the korbat below me.  The two others dove for me then.  I rolled in midair and slammed my spear into both of them at once.  They hit it hard and dropped off to either side of me.  I quickly flapped my wings, gaining altitude.  If I was under attack, then what of Sabreur and the others?  

            It soon became apparent that they too were under attack.  A whole swarm of the pale korbats had appeared out of the side tunnels and were attacking my friends indiscriminately.  Swifty and MoonFall were cornered near the wall with Terraile attempting to hold them off.  Netsuko had managed to find an outcropping to stand on which freed them both up to fight.  Infernus was concentrating on his flying while Sabreur fought.  He held onto Infernus with one hand and in his other one of the throwing stars.  He threw it as I watched and it struck a korbat in the wing.  The creature let out a shriek as the star burst into brilliant purple red light and all the other korbats fell away from the light.  Un-eairkagh had his Sinsis sword and dark battle duck out.  Melody was just hanging on best she could.

            "Everyone!" I cried, "Freefall!"

            Un-eairkagh gave a shrill cry and shot a beam of darkness at one last opponent before going into a straight dive.  Melody shrieked and buried her face in his fur.  I too went into a dive before anyone hit me.  There wasn't enough room to maneuver.  As it was, I nearly hit the wall as a korbat shot out at me.  I smashed it aside with my spear.  There was a thud and then nothing.  I could hear the sounds of sporadic fighting above me as we all fell.  I twisted in midair to look.  Sabreur had let go of Infernus and was on his back, throwing stars up at our pursuers.  Bursts of light accompanied each hit.  Infernus was also on his back, grappling with a korbat.  He threw it away and it slammed into Swifty and Padiglione.  The gelert hit the wall and tumbled.  Padiglione was thrown off and Swifty quickly directed her fall to the side.  She flared her wings a bit and caught the kougra before going back into freefall.  Un-eairkagh's maniacal battle cries reached me, accompanied by the infernal squeaking of his duck.  At least one person was enjoying the fight.  Terraile had her bow out and was shooting upwards at our attackers.  Netsuko had let go of her and was just directing her fall to stay close to the shoyru.  My heart was in my throat as we fell.  Sabreur's lamp could only illuminate so far.  We were falling into nothingness, a bottomless hole that seemed to go on forever.  

            Suddenly the korbats shrilled loudly and flared their wings.  The popping of air filled the shaft and reverberated into hundreds of echoes.  In seconds the korbats were left behind us.  I rolled to face down and spread my wings a bit.  I caught up to Sabreur and grabbed one of his flares off the back of his pouch.

            "Wha…?" he gasped at me.

            I didn't reply, merely pulled the tab and threw.  The light fell and fell and then stopped.  A collective outcry of fear came from all the pets.

            "Grab hold of your flyer!" I shouted, powering my dive to get in front of everyone.

            The ground neared us.  I could dimly see it now in the light of Sabreur's lamp.  We were too close, we didn't have time to stop.

            "Flare your wings, NOW!" I shouted, and spread my own, thrusting both hands downwards and channeling my power.

            A vertical column of air burst up from the shaft's bottom, filling our wings with a deafening pop.  I grunted as the bones in my wings were jerked painfully up from the sudden rush of wind.  The wind screamed in my ears, whipping my hair wildly about me and slowing my fall. The muscles in my back were taunt with trying to keep my wings out and I felt like they were about to be torn right off.  But my fall was slowing.  

            I landed hard but not hard enough to injure myself.  I staggered and slowly stood as my friends and family landed all around me.  Un-eairkagh hit hard enough to send Melody tumbling off over his head.  But he was laughing with sheer adrenalin.

            "That was awesome!" he cried, "Let's do it again!"

            "Let's not," Terraile said, visibly shaken.

            I glanced up and saw pale outlines of the korbats following us.

            "No time to talk!" I snapped, "Into that tunnel there, now!"

            Everyone obeyed, rushing for the tunnel at the bottom of the shaft.  I was the last to follow.  The korbats were almost on us.

            "Keep going, get ahead of me!" I ordered, turning to face the oncoming horde.

            "Kiddo!  What about you?" MoonFall cried.

            "I'm going to stop them.  Just go!"

            She hesitated.

            "GO!"

            And she turned and ran after the rest.  I faced the korbats again.  They were almost at the tunnel entrance.

            "Here we go," I said grimly, and slammed my spear into the earth, point first.  


	24. Elemental Guardians

Elemental Guardians

            There was a deafening explosion as power raced through the tunnel walls and ceiling.  The ground below my feet shook but I held firm.  The tunnel entrance crumbled and then collapsed.  Stones rained down and smashed into the earth with shocking force.  For a moment I was scared I'd overdid it but the collapse slowed and then stopped.  The tunnel was suffused with dust and I coughed as I breathed it in.  I had to get back.  Still coughing, I staggered away, pulling my spear out of the solid stone.  

            I met back up with the group at the next bend in the tunnel.

            "That should hold them," I gasped, trying to wipe the dust off my face and hair. 

            It was a lost cause.  I gave up and took the lead with Sabreur, quickening our pace to put distance between us and the shaft.

            "Where are we going?" Netsuko asked.

            "Don't know.  Just trying to loose anything."

            "Why did the shaft end so suddenly?" 

            "Again: don't know.  I guess the earth tried to seal Aldrai away.  Anyways, we've got to get some ground between us and those korbats before we can stop."

            No one argued with my plan.  We kept moving, pressing on.  Our pace didn't allow for as careful travel as before and as a result several of us wound up stumbling and almost falling as the tunnel floor changed.  

            "What were those things anyways?" Melody asked fearfully.

            "Korbats, I think," I replied, "Korbats that have never seen the sun."

            "The Infernals," Sabreur said in a strange voice.

            The name seemed to resound around us, an ominous sign of what we were up against.

            "This is bad, isn't it?" MoonFall asked in a tiny voice.

            "Perhaps.  Depends on what else we find down here."

            We didn't stop moving for about the next hour.  Finally Sakuko demanded a halt and everyone slumped to the stone floor gratefully.  I stayed near the entrance to the small cave area we were in, stretching my magic to detect anyone coming.  There was nothing.  That still did not reassure me though, as I had felt nothing when the korbats had attacked.  These things must've found some way to shield themselves from magical detection.

            "So where do we go now?" Terraile finally asked.

            "I don't know.  We're off the map," my brother replied.

            I frowned and picked up one of the light threads burrowing deep into the earth, left from Aldrai's flight.

            "I think we'll just have to do this blind," I said thoughtfully, "Take whatever cave goes deeper into the earth and hope we can get close enough.  If worse comes to worse I'll start blowing stuff up."

            Sabreur beamed at me proudly.

            "I trained you well," he said, wiping away an imaginary tear.

            "Oh, come off it," I replied irritably and stood, gathering up my backpack and spear.

            I was in the lead now.  I used my magic like a compass, blindly following the light strand deeper into the underground.  We ran into many dead ends and false starts but we were making progress.  The air grew steadily warmer and more humid.  

            "That underground lake," Sabreur murmured.

            I nodded in agreement and kept going.

            We finally stopped for the night in the most defensible cavern we could find.  Sabreur chose our sleeping spots for us this time, with me at the most vulnerable entrance.

            "Keep a sharp eye," he ordered everyone as we drew for watches, "We don't know what might come."

            It took a long time to get to sleep.  My wings ached from the mad freefall battle and I was still feeling the strain of following Aldrai's thread.  The task before us seemed impossible.  Find a way to wherever Aldrai was while avoiding the Infernals.  But I could not give up on my pet.  Not now, not ever.

            I eventually drifted into a fitful sleep.  My dream was dark and instinctively I knew this was more than just a dream.

            "Shi'tri!" I called, "You're there, I know it."

            "My, aren't we the clever one," he said, appearing before me with a satisfied smile.

            "Can it.  What else is down here besides the Infernals?"

            "Oh, so you've found the Infernals then, have you?"

            "Yes.  They attacked us.  What else is down here?"

            He studied his nails thoughtfully and appeared to be debating on what to tell me.

            "I'm warning you…"

            "Warning me?" he said in mock fright, "You don't even know who or what I am!"

            I growled low in my throat and flexed my kougra claws.

            "Oh very well, no need for violence."

            He sighed.

            "I did warn you to turn back.  There is no hope for Aldrai.  But, if you insist… You do have the Infernals to deal with.  They don't like outsiders although they are not entirely unreasonable.  You also have some darker things, left over from when Neopia was still a very dangerous place.  They make your above ground evils look like child's play.  I'd suggest you avoid them at all cost."

            "How?"

            "Stay away from dark places," he said cryptically, "Now, there's the usual dangers of traveling underground… poisonous gases trapped in caverns – you're lucky you haven't found those yet – the underground lake has a tendency to flood some tunnels and caves depending on the time of day, and ah yes, supposing you do make it past all that, you'll have to face the Guardians."

            "The Guardians?" I asked dumbly.

            "You've fought them before.  Or are you so dense that I have to spell it out for you?"

            My mind reeled.  Surely not…

            "Wait," I said, "Shi'kly.  Shi'tri.  You're… you're…"

            "The physical embodiment of the element of darkness.  Precisely," he said, folding his hands behind his back and giving me a small bow.

            I gasped and staggered away from him.

            "How…?"

            "Think about it," he said coldly, "I was able to enter your mind while you were in a coma simply because you were in darkness.  From there you've allowed me access to your dreams when you sleep."

            "I – I have?"

            "Yes."

            "Get away from me," I snarled.

            "I daresay I shan't.  In case you forget I've been trying to help you."

            "Oh, yeah right," I said sarcastically, "Trying to get me to turn back.  Sending those Infernals after us.  And besides, your best attribute is lies."

            "I had nothing to do with that," he retorted, "And my best attribute is not lies, although that is a part of what I am.  I am mostly concerned with my own selfish interests.  And keeping you alive as the Essence of Neopia just happens to be in my own self-interest right now.  Never before has my very existence been threatened and thankfully you were able to stop that.  I expect you to continue to protect Neopia – and me – in such a way for many years."

            "Then why are you keeping me away from Aldrai?!"

            "My, you are a dense one," he marveled, "If you can't figure it out on your own then I'm not going to spend all night explaining myself.  By the way, you might want to look to your friends.  Since you will not heed my warning we have been forced to take drastic measures."

            "Wait!  What…?"

            But he was gone.  


	25. The Infernals

The Infernals

            Look to my friends.  What on Neopia did that mean…?  I struggled to wake but it was like moving through molasses.  What had Shi'tri done to me?  I could not wake.  And I felt his presence behind it all.  I sank into dreamless sleep.

            I woke.  I was bound, my hands pulled behind my back and tied to a wooden pole.  My ankles were also bound together.  I shook my head and opened my eyes.  My friends were all arranged nearby, similarly bound in a semi-circle.  Sabreur was to my right, a cut on his forehead.

            "You're awake," he said dully.

            "Wha-what happened?" I gasped.

            "We were attacked in the night.  It was Infernals, lots of them, and not just korbats.  And you wouldn't wake up."

            "It was Shi'tri," I said darkly, "He's the guardian of darkness.  The one I fought in the realm of the Shadows."

            "What's he got against you?" Sabreur asked, astonished.

            "I don't know.  But he's bound and determined to not let me get near Aldrai."

            "I thought the guardians were just the physical manifestations of the different elements.  They have a mind of their own?"

            "Obviously.  Don't you think they're human though – they most certainly are not."

            I gazed around us.  My friends showed various signs of combat and I frowned.  Un-eairkagh was slumped to the side, apparently still unconscious.  Infernus was breathing with difficulty and I guessed a broken rib or two.  After I had inspected my friends I looked around our surroundings.

            We were by the underground lake.  It stretched out into darkness, a flat surface of pure black.  The cavern was enormous, the ceiling stretching up into nothingness.  Light emanated from clumps of lichen and moss that glowed with a pale green light.  All around us were tents and the occasional small campfire.  Pets moved around us, pale furless creatures with huge distended eyes and ears.  I shuddered.  The Infernals.  Pets lost to the underground, never seeing the light of day.

            "What do they want with us?" I whispered to Sabreur.

            "I have no idea.  They just ambushed us in the night.  We did quite a good job fighting them off though.  Especially Infernus.  It took seven of them at once to finally drag him down."

            I detected a note of pride in his voice and smiled grimly.  A movement of white in our direction caught my eye.  A techo was walking our way, a hunched creature with skin stretched so tightly across its frame that you could see the veins underneath.  A massive collection of necklaces made of shells hung on its emancipated frame and bracelets rattled on its ankles and wrists.  It wore a tattered loincloth and a headdress of leather and shells.  A twisted wooden staff embedded with shards of glass was clutched in one bony claw.

            "Betcha ten to one this is the shaman of whatever culture they have down here," I whispered as the creature approached us.

            My brother nodded slightly.  The techo stopped in the middle of the semi-circle we formed and glared at us in turn.  A small crowd of the Infernals was growing around us and out of it stepped a massive furless kougra flanked by two gelerts.  The kougra walked up to stand by the techo, the gelerts staying a respectful distance behind, like an honor guard.

            "Chief," I whispered to my brother.

            "Intruders!" the shaman hissed, glaring at us, "Intruders into the sacred grounds of the Infernals!"

            "Are these the ones that were foretold?" the kougra said in a deep voice.

            "Yes… I have seen them in my dreams.  The elements have warned of their coming.  They are not to pass!  Kill them!"

            "They have done no wrong," the chief replied languidly.

            The shaman shot him a poisonous glance.  Right then I realized that some sort of power struggle was going on.  I quickly thought on how to best exploit it.

            "They are intruders!  We must not suffer them to live!  The elements demand it!  Kill them!" the shaman shrieked, waving his staff.

            "The elements commanded no such thing," I said evenly, "Shi'tri only wants us to turn back."

            The shaman turned to me, his eyes bugging slightly.

            "She dares claim to have spoken with the elementals…" he hissed in outrage.

            "Since when has someone other than the shaman speaking with the elementals been a crime?" the kougra asked.

            I detected a soft smile on his furless muzzle and he favored me an appreciative glance.

            "How is it that you even know the elements?" I asked the shaman, "I thought normal people could not communicate with them.  Only very powerful wizards can detect their presence, much less allow them to manifest in physical form.  And I sense no magic in you."

            The shaman gaped at me like a fish and the chieftain chuckled.

            "So you've seen them in physical form," he said, duly impressed, "That's something our shaman here cannot claim."

            "I am their chosen voice!" he howled, shaking his staff ever harder, "I have journeyed to the Elemental Forge where the elements reside!"

            "So the deeper you go the closer you get to the elements," Sabreur said lazily, "That's interesting.  Well, Kiddo here has seen them on the surface of the earth.  Can you beat that?"

            The kougra burst out into laughter then and smirked at the shaman.

            "No, I don't believe you can.  Get on now, and remember who runs this clan."

            The techo hesitated for a moment, then drew himself up violently and stalked away.  The kougra then turned his large pale eyes on me.

            "I am Chief Raitos.  You have done me a small service today," he said gravely, "Ilk'nios has been causing trouble for years.  That should keep him in his place for now.  But the fact remains that you are intruders here and that the elements do not want you to continue on whatever quest you are on.  You will be escorted to the surface by our warriors."

            He turned to go and the crowd surrounding us drew back.  Suddenly I heard frenzied shouts from a tunnel leading out of the cavern.

            "Ni'cri!  Almon duos frasi-ni!  Kraim cios!"

            The frantic cry continued as the furless acara neared us, panting.  The crowd quickly drew back to allow him through where he collapsed at the chieftain's feet.

            "Ni'cri.  Almon duos frasi-ni.  Kraim cios."

            "Eios du?"

            "Ai."

            The reaction was instantaneous.  Gasps of fear rippled around the assembled pets and a babble of voices burst out.

            "SIRENE!" the kougra howled and everyone froze.

            With the crowd settled the chief started barking out orders in their own language, almost too fast to follow.  Pets started moving immediately, running to grab weapons and scattering throughout the cavern.  

            "What's going on?" I called.

            One of the gelert guards answered me.

            "A creature of the underground is coming," he said evenly, "You above-grounds have dealt with something similar before, I believe.  We call it the kraim.  You called it the monoceraptor.  They are very rare.  We have not had one come to the village in eons."

            I turned and looked at the tunnel the acara had come running out of.

            "Release me," I said softly.

            The kougra chief turned to stare at me.

            "What?"

            "Release me," I repeated, "I'll fight it off.  Might not be able to kill it, but I bet I can drive it away."

            "You are mad."

            "Perhaps.  But if I succeed, I will have saved your village."

            "And what do you want in return?"

            "You release my friends.  And I want you to take me to the Elemental Forge."


	26. Kraim cios

_Kraim cios_

            They released me.  A single claw swipe and my bonds were cut.  I easily stood and summoned my spear to hand.  The kougra nodded appreciatively.

            "Very well then.  Go fight, stranger from above."

            I grinned ferociously and started to walk away.

            "Kiddo," my brother called out after me, "Wait a second."

            I turned to face him.

            "You think you can take on the monoceraptor?"

            "Yes."

            "Alright then.  But this thing isn't the monoceraptor.  They said it was similar, meaning this kraim is different.  Must be a strictly underground version.  It'll be weak against light in that case.  And Kiddo… good luck.  Don't do anything stupid."

            "I won't," I said, and turned towards the tunnel the creature would come through.

            I waited for it just outside the tunnel exit.  It would be at its most vulnerable then as the tunnel would not afford it much room for maneuvering.  I would be able to hit it with my light magic and then hopefully drive it off with my spear.  I could hear it coming now, the ground trembled and I could hear a deafening roar echo down the tunnel.  I held my ground.  

            It appeared around a bend.  It was indeed an offshoot of the monoceraptor.  It was smaller, to fit through the tunnels I imagine, and it walked on all fours.  But it had the same squat head and iron-tough skin.  This would not be easy.  It bellowed when it saw me and quickened it's pace, it's sides scraping along the tunnel wall.  I grinned savagely as it approached.  Almost.

            Its head had just cleared the tunnel when I struck.  I raised my spear with a cry and released the light magic I had been holding in one brilliant explosion emanating from my spear tip.  The beast howled in agony as the light slammed into its eyes.  It violently shook its head back and forth and I charged, leaping into the air and landing on its muzzle.  I drove the spear down as hard as I could right between its eyes.  The jolt of the impact shot through my arms and shoulders and the creature howled in pain.  My spear was sunk into its head but not deep enough to do any real damage.  

            The beast charged blindly out of the tunnel, shaking its head and throwing me off.  I hit the ground and rolled, quickly recovering my feet.  The beast stood near the entrance to the cavern, still shaking its head back and forth blindly.  

            "Hey, you brute!" I shouted, "I'm over here!"

            The thing turned towards me and opened one eye in a half-slit.  It growled low in its throat and charged.  I waited and leaped into the air at the last minute, twisting in midair to pull my spear free and land squarely on the thing's back.  I then plunged my spear into its flank, again, not piercing enough to do any real damage but enough to enrage it further.

            It tried to shake me off but I leapt into the air and onto the ground.  It swiped for me and I rolled to avoid it's claws.  One hit would end it for me.  The thing was just too big.  I came up on my feet again and dodged underneath its second attack, jamming my spear into the joint of its forearm.  I yanked my spear free and dove to the side as the thing came down heavily where I had just been.  It scrambled for a purchase on the stone and then stood again, glaring at me with one good eye.

            "Com'n you overgrown lizard," I growled, holding my spear before me, "I've got one last surprise for ya."

            I sidestepped until I the creature was between me and the tunnel entrance.  It roared and started to move cautiously for me, realizing its blind rage wasn't helping things any.  I took a step towards it and channeled my light magic into the spear tip. 

            Dazzling beams of light burst out of the crystal top and directly into the creature's face.  It screamed and backed away from the source of the light.  I followed, forcing it back into the tunnel entrance.  When it was far enough back I raised my spear above my head and slammed it point first into the ground.  Power rippled out and through the cavern walls.  The creature howled and retreated further back as stones rained down upon it.  Then the ceiling collapsed and the thing was blocked from my view by dust and stone.  I waited for a few moments until a rock crashed down mere inches away from me.  I gasped and wrenched my spear free.  I'd overdone it and the entire tunnel was collapsing.  I turned and ran as the stone rained down around me, cursing under my breath.  I could see the tunnel entrance now, disintegrating as I ran.  I dove and rolled out as the rest of the tunnel collapsed behind me with a deafening roar.

            I lay on the ground for a few moments, feeling the dust around me slowly settle as the cave-in died down.  I then hauled myself to my feet and gazed around me.  The Infernals had gathered, cheering.  I vainly tried to beat the dust out of my hair and caught the chief's gaze.  He nodded and shouted some orders.  A couple pets ran off and I could see them releasing my group.  I grinned savagely and hoisted my spear into the air.  A deafening roar arose in response.  Shi'tri's bid to stop us had failed utterly.

            The chief persuaded us to stay for a feast that night.  We all had bathed in the underground lake and I was feeling much better now that the dust of two cave-ins was off me.  I had also healed all my friends and family that were injured.  Un-eairkagh was laying on a mat eating an entire bowl of mushrooms on his own while talking a mile of minute to a gaggle of female Infernals.  I could tell they didn't speak our language and therefore had no clue what Un-eairkagh was saying but that obviously wasn't stopping him.

            "What's he see in them?" Terraile whispered to me, "They're nasty hairless things."

            "They're also the only thing female that hasn't called him an immature brat."

            "Oh."

            My brother was staring dubiously at his food, some kind of meat and mushroom mix.

            "It's fungus," he said despondently.

            "Oh, just eat it," I snapped.

            "But it's fungus."

            I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to the chief, who had just shown up, bedecked in a ceremonial robe.  He settled himself next to me and an Infernal quickly presented him with a large plate of food.

            "So tell me," I said, "how did this village come about?"

            "A long time ago a group of pets left the above ground to live here, where they would not be part of Neopian society.  They settled on the banks of this lake for its supply of water and food and also because of its proximity to the Forge."

            "And what is the Forge?"

            "It is where the elements of Neopia reside.  No one has been there and returned.  We can get close, but we are unable to go further.  It is too hot to survive.  But legend says that it is a place where all the elements of Neopia meet and is a place of immense power.  That is why the elements can manifest physically there."

            "As opposed to being summoned by a wizard."

            "Exactly.  Am I to understand that you have summoned them yourself?"

            "No," I admitted, "Although I have met with them while they were under someone else's summoning."

            My mind flickered back to BrightSong and the Shadows.

            "See," I continued, "I am the Essence of Neopia.  All the elemental powers are embodied in me.  I am part of Neopia, as are the elements."

            "Interesting," the Raitos murmured, "We did not know such a thing existed."

            "Not many people do, actually."

            He thought on this for a few more moments and then lifted his head sharply.

            "Why are we talking of such things?" he declared angrily, "There is time to worry about what you will find in the Forge tomorrow!  Eat, dance, enjoy yourself.  Forgive me, I am being rude prying into your affairs when you have done such a magnificent deed for my village."

            He rose to his feet and bellowed something out in his own language.  A chorus of cheers met his announcement and several pets pulled out drums.  A group gathered around the campfire and the dancing began.  I cast a quick glance at my brother.

            "No way on Neopia," he vowed solemnly.

            "Fine then, I'll go myself," I retorted, pushing myself to my feet to join in the dancing.

            Nothing like making a fool of yourself.


	27. Single Candle

_Single Candle_

            The dancing lasted long into the night.  I finally retired to a tent that had been set aside for me and my friends.  Melody was already there along with Netsuko, Sakuko, and MoonFall.  I found a spot near them and covered myself up with the blankets.  Sleep came instantly that night.

            "Shi'tri!" I called, once again sensing that this was more than a dream, "Where are you?"

            "Right here," he said coldly.

            "Elemental Forge, eh?" I said, watching for a reaction.

            There was none.  His face remained as impassive as ever.

            "You know, it's not just me that wants you to turn back," he said, "All the elements want it.  It's just only I can contact you in this manner."

            "So?  I want my pet back and I'm not giving up until I have him."

            "You can't have him.  For your sake… just give up."

            "I won't.  We've been over this before.  I must ask though: what is up with your shaman?"

            Shi'tri sniffed in disgust.

            "Oh.  Him.  A rather poor choice in my mind but he was all that was available.  We try and keep tabs on the Infernals due to their proximity to the Forge."

            "Well, tell your shaman that if he so much as looks at me wrong he'll be finding out what the afterlife is like firsthand."

            The element looked at me sadly.

            "See, this is why I don't want you to come to the Forge.  I'm rather fond of you, you know."

            "You are?  Even after I beat you up in the Shadow realm?"

            He nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face.

            "Yes.  Even though you defeated me before.  But your sheer determination will get you to the Forge and from there we can only see how events fall out.  I want you to know that whatever happens is not because I dislike you.  It is out of necessity."

            "And what will happen at the Forge?" I whispered.

            "We're all rather fond of you.  You've been very good at upholding your responsibilities as Essence.  But… it's a pity this has to be this way."

            "What?  What are you talking about?"

            He merely vanished from sight though and I drifted back into normal sleep.

            I was woken the next morning by one of Un-eairkagh's admirers from the previous night.  She ushered us outside and to a small campfire where we found breakfast waiting for us.

            "I hate mushrooms," Sabreur said, staring at his bowl in dismay.

            "Quit whining," Terraile retorted.

            "I miss MoonFall's cooking."

            The uni eyed him appreciatively.

            "I never thought I'd hear you say that, Sabreur."

            He looked at her mournfully.

            "I miss decent food.  I miss the lab.  And I miss being out in the open as opposed to being stuck in these dingy tunnels."

            "How do you think I feel?" Un-eairkagh snapped, "I'm the one who suffers from claustrophobia here!"

            "You've done fine," I said wearily, not wanting everyone to start moaning so close to the end of our journey, "You've all done fine."

            Raitos approached us then.

            "When you are ready, we will take you to the Forge."

            Everyone made as to leave, reaching for weapons, but the kougra shook his furless head.

            "No, only the girl may go.  The path is closed for the rest of you."

            "How come?" Sakuko and Nestuko demanded as one.

            "There are two ways to the Elemental Forge.  One does not take you all the way there.  That is the one the shamans take.  The other can only be traveled through water.  It is entirely submerged."

            There was silence.

            "Well," I said, trying to put a note of cheerfulness in my voice, "I guess it'll just be me then."

            "Don't act so happy," Melody said dubiously, "I know your phobia."

            I gulped and Un-eairkagh turned to me in excitement.

            "You have a phobia other than spiders?"

            "Yes," I muttered, "I don't like water where I can't see the bottom.  And I don't like underground lakes, streams, rivers, whatever.  They scare me.  Badly."

            Raitos looked at me strangely and growled.

            "There is no other way.  Either master your fear or fail."

            And he turned to walk off towards the lake.  I watched him go and then reluctantly stood, picking up my Elemental Spear.

            "Well, that's it then," I said awkwardly, "I'm off."

            Everyone rose also.  I hugged them each in turn, accepting their wishes of good luck.  And this time I did not forget to tell anyone that I loved them.

            The kougra chieftain was waiting by the lakeside.  A Infernal peophin was also there.  He was pale and furless as all Infernals are; with one exception.  He had a mane of stringy and knotted hair.  Bits of stone were tied up in it.  He regarded me with large pale eyes and then flipped back into the water. I could dimly see his pale outline just under the water's surface.

            "Mikohs will guide you," the kougra said evenly, "as far as he can.  From there it is up to you."

            "Thank you."

            "It is a fool's quest you are on and I doubt I will ever see you again.  But so be it."

            I nodded and stepped out into the lake.  The water was only mildly cold, hinting at some volcanic activity deeper below the earth.  The Infernals had mentioned the Forge being too hot to survive in.  I imagined the place would be some lava pool deep under the earth.  But to get there through water… what kind of place was the Forge?

            I was about to dive underwater when a call stopped me.  It was my brother.  He glanced at me awkwardly then tossed me a metal sphere.

            "For you.  Just in case you need it."

            And then he trotted off to rejoin the rest of my group.  I carefully clasped the improved firebomb to my belt and dove underwater.  I could see fine and breath fine, thanks to my peophin gills.  Mikohs twisted around to ensure I was ready and then took off through the lake.  We dove deeper and deeper until there was no light.  I summoned a small sphere of light magic to guide us.  Up ahead was a tunnel in the cavern wall.  We made for it.  I hesitated for a moment, staring at the yawning black mouth before me.  For Aldrai.  I braced myself and followed.

            We swam for what seemed like hours.  Eventually the current starting picking up and I heard the sound of rushing water.  That meant air had to be nearby.  Sure enough, Mikohs vanished onto a surface above us.  I broke through and took a deep breath of slightly stale air before pulling myself out of the river and onto the slick stone floor in the cave.  It was a tiny room with barely enough space for two of us.  As it was, both our tails hung in the water and we were squashed uncomfortably close.

            "This is as far as I can take you," the peohpin said jerkily, "You'll have to go on yourself.  The current picks up too hard to turn back pretty soon.  Just follow the river.  It'll take you straight to the Elemental Forge."

            "Thank you," I said softly.

            "There is nothing to thank me for.  I am leading you towards death."

            I was about to reply but the peophin had already leaped into the water and was heading back up the way we had came.  I watched him go and then felt an abrupt wave of loneliness and fear.  It was just me and whatever lay in the Forge.  I leapt back into the water and let the current carry me.


	28. The Elemental Forge

The Elemental Forge

            There was hardly any reason to swim now.  I brightened the globe of light so that it lit the area around me, the light shifting and distorted in the water.  But it was light and I was not so alone.

            I could feel the water pulling me on, rushing ever forwards.  It started to get hot.  It didn't bother me for as Essence I was immune.  But it was distinctly getting hot.  Faster and further the current carried me.  Now the water was too hot for most creatures to handle.  It was stifling and the water was poisoned from gasses and minerals picked up.  I concentrated on the water directly around me, summoning air and water magic to cleanse it from the toxins.  

            'They were right,' I thought, 'No one could come this way and live.'

            But I was the Essence of Neopia.  And I would have Aldrai back. 

            Up ahead I could hear the roar of something…  Water, and something else.  A constant pounding of noise.  I braced myself for now the water was tinged with beams of red light.  I was almost there.  The water grew steadily lighter and I could now see where the tunnel ended.  It shot out of a hole in the cavern wall and frothed just like a waterfall top.  I prepared my wings to stop me from falling.  I could see nothing beyond the red spray and mist.  Mere feet now – there!  

            The current threw me out and I flared my wings and flapped, allowing my momentum to pull me away from the waterfall.  I could feel currents of blazingly hot air fill my feathers and dry me off in a heartbeat.  The air was turbulent and everywhere were rising columns of steam.  The area was huge, easily the size of two football fields and at least a mile high.  The light was tinged red and shifting shadows of light and dark marred the cavern walls of stone.  And below me…

            I gasped and felt the gritty hot air fill my lungs.  I fought down the impulse to cough.  Below me was a pool of liquid magma.  But it was not all liquid.  The waterfall was falling on super-heated stone, cooled magma.  It spread out from there, running into the magma and evaporating or creating new stone.  Every now and then the surface of the newly formed rock would burst and dissolve back into magma.  It was a never-ending cycle of fire, water, and earth.  The turbulent air currents I felt were from the evaporating steam and thermals generated by the heat of the magma.  And all around me were shifting patterns of light and dark.  The Elemental Forge.  Where all the elements meet.

            I looked around me some more.  If this was where Aldrai was…  The veil of steam lifted for a moment and I could see into the center of the cavern.  A floating island of rock.  And in the center a multi-hued prismatic crystal with a dark shape imprisoned inside.  I spread my wings and made for it.

            The area around the island was calm.  I landed on the bare stone and noticed that the heat had dropped to tolerable levels as had the quality of the air.  Nothing was holding this island of calm up but sheer magic.  I walked towards the crystal, enamored with it's ever-shifting surface of color.  All the elements.  And inside, curled in a fetal position, a Darigan zafara.  He was apparently in some kind of suspended sleep.  

            "Go no further," a familiar voice ordered.

            I turned and glared at the black pony-tailed form of Shi'tri.

            "I've come for my pet," I snarled.

            "We know you have," a new voice said.

            A lithe female with a white gown and white hair appeared next to Shi'tri.  The element of light; Shi'kly.  

            "It grieves us that you have come this far for nothing, for you know we cannot release him," a third voice said, female.

            Next to Shi'kly a woman with a green dress, green hair, and dark skin appeared.

            "I am Shi'mio, earth," she said.

            Another element appeared.  A teenage boy with freckles and red hair that stood out every which way.

            "I'm Shi'eus, fire."

            A fifth appeared.  Another woman with pale blue hair that seemed to just flow down to her knees.

            "I am Shi'kit, water."

            "And I am Shi'viv, air," said the last, a man with pale hair that seemed almost translucent one moment and then deep blue the next.  

            He hovered a couple inches above the ground.  All six of them regarded me in silence, arranged in a semi-circle around me.  I gripped my spear tighter and waited.

            "What do you know of the Elemental Forge?" Shi'kly finally asked.

            "It's where all the elements meet.  The only place you can manifest physically."

            The light element nodded.

            "It has been here since the birth of Neopia," Shi'eus said, "You know there are wells of power in Neopia, natural places where magic seems to pool.  Well, this is a well.  Except it's the biggest well ever and it contains all the elements.  It is where all magic comes from.  It seeps up to the surface through the vast underground."

            "All magic you know of originates here," Shi'kit said, taking over for the fire element, "It is also where the crystal that houses the key to becoming the Essence of Neopia was created.  It was where the Elemental Spear was forged."

            "Whenever there is an upheaval in the Forge something is created.  When Aldrai burst through the ceiling of this place there was one such upheaval.  We used the outpouring of magic to imprison him such," Shi'viv said, nodding towards Aldrai's crystal prison.

            "But why did you imprison him?" I cried.

            "See, I told you," Shi'tri said with a trace of arrogance to the other elements, "She's too dense to get it."

            "Either that or she has too much hope to admit it," Shi'mio countered.

            "I maintain that it's 'cause she's human," said the fire element with a dismissive wave, "They're not the most perceptive bunch."

            "Will you stop talking about me like I'm not here?" I growled.

            They returned their attention to me, completely unruffled.

            "Now, why on Neopia did you imprison my pet?" I demanded.

            "Because he tried to re-work the fabric of Neopia," Shi'viv said bluntly, "And we are here to protect Neopia and keep it as it is."

            "I was going to be destroyed," Shi'tri sulked, "You think I'm going to allow something that aims to destroy me loose?"

            "But he's not really like that!" I cried.

            "Yes, I know," Shi'kly said gently, "But he allowed himself to be consumed by the magic."

            "But _you're _light magic," I snapped, "Why didn't you stop him?"

            "Because I can't," she replied coldly, "We can only take independent action when we are summoned or where there is sufficient power to appear."

            "Aldrai was channeling a heck of a lot of power!  Why didn't you appear then!?"

            "Light magic is supposed to be good.  Aldrai was using it for evil."

            And Shi'kly turned her back to me.

            "So none of you could manifest," I said softly, "That's why you first created me as the Essence.  To take care of situations where you couldn't."

            "Exactly.  Like with BrightSong.  We had been summoned for a certain purpose and were forced to obey the confines of the spell," the earth element said gently.

            "But we're not bound to any purpose here," Shi'viv interrupted, "So I'd suggest you finally take Shi'tri's suggestion and leave.  Without Aldrai."

            "No."

            Shi'kly shuddered slightly.  Shi'mio turned away, as did Shi'eus.  Shi'tri closed his eyes as if in pain.

            "Then you give us no choice…" he said softly, turning to regard his fellow elements.

            "I fought you once, I can fight you again," I said, dropping into a fighting crouch.

            "We aren't going to fight you, child_dragon," Shi'viv said in a strained voice, "You are the Essence of Neopia.  We created you to uphold and protect Neopia.  You did this admirably.  But now… you seek to unleash something that will tear Neopia apart.  We cannot allow this."

            "So what are you going to do?" I challenged.

            "I tried to warn you, I did," Shi'tri said, "But you won't listen.  Child_dragon… Essence of Neopia… we cannot allow you to hold that title anymore.  We created you and we can destroy you just as easily."


	29. A Normal Girl

_A Normal Girl_

            I stared at them in confusion.  

            "You said you… wouldn't fight me…" I said.

            Shi'tri nodded.

            "Think girl.  We created the Essence.  We gave it to you.  We can take it away."

            I nearly dropped my spear.

            "No!" I shouted, "You can't!"

            "I thought you didn't like having this power," the dark element said with a trace of amusement.

            "I don't… but – Aldrai!  I just want my pet!"

            The exchanged glances as if they knew this would happen.  I stepped forwards and raised my spear.

            "I'm not letting you keep him," I said, and then leapt into the air.

            I flared my wings, allowing the thermals to carry me above the island.  I gathered the power to me, so much power, so ready to be used.  I would free Aldrai, they could not stop me.  I wouldn't let them.

            I felt something strange wrap around me then.  A burning arose in my chest and I gasped.  My heart was beating wildly and an icy sensation slid down my spine.  Multi-hued light surrounded me, shot down towards the island, and was gone.  I shuddered and fell from the sky.  I tried to flare my wings to stop my fall only to discover they weren't there.  

            A hand closed on the back of my shirt.  All the air was knocked out of me and I gasped at the sharp stop to my fall.  I could feel the heat wrapping itself around me like a blanket, heat that had previously been unnoticeable.  Whoever held me by my shirt collar carried me back up the short distance to the island and dropped me on the ground.  I glanced up to see Shi'viv staring down at me with amusement.

            "You seem to be fond of falling," he said with a half-grin.

            "Shuddup!" I snapped and twisted around to see what had happened to my wings.

            They were gone.  As was my tail, my horns, everything.  Everything that made me the Essence.  I could no longer feel the threads of power, could no longer call upon that magic rooted deep within Neopia.  I was just a normal girl.  Nothing more.

            I doubled over, shuddering violently.  I tried to stop my shaking but I couldn't.  Although the air around me was still uncomfortably warm I felt cold.

            "Calm down Kiddo," Shi'tri said gently, kneeling by my side and grabbing my shoulder, "Just calm down."

            "Wha – what…"

            He gestured and I looked over to see Shi'kly kneeling on the ground, a multi-colored starburst crystal in her hands.  The Essence of Neopia.  

            I could feel the edges of my vision growing black.  I tried to take deep breaths but all I could do was short panicked gasps.

            "Shi'kit… help me… she's gonna faint…" Shi'tri growled tersely.

            "Let her.  Might be best."

            I felt light-headed and dizzy.  And very very ill.  The last thing I felt before I fell into a full faint was Shi'tri laying me back onto the rock.

            I woke to voices.  For a moment I had no idea where I was.  Then I felt the heat and bare stone beneath me and remembered.  I kept my eyes shut, listening.  The absence of my tail and wings and other features I had borne for so long was a jarring reminder of what had happened.  

            "You agreed to this," someone was saying.

            "I agreed but I still don't like it," Shi'tri replied.

            "I never would have expected you to have a soft spot," the other marveled.

            I thought for a moment and was able to identify the voice as Shi'eus, the fire element.

            "Not so much as a soft spot as respect.  She was just trying to save her pet."

            "I know."

            A sigh.

            "I didn't like it either, Shi'tri," Shi'eus continued, "But we didn't really have much choice.  She had a responsibility to protect Neopia and she wanted to release something that wanted to destroy it as we know it.  It's her own fault, really."

            "Yes.  I know."

            "And we couldn't really have beaten her in a straight fight, could we now?  We bound her too strongly to Neopia – she's just like us except combined.  Our fault there."

            "But now Neopia doesn't have an Essence."

            "Neopia doesn't need one anymore," Shi'eus said dismissively, "The entire civilization walks around armed.  Sloth is gone.  The faeries are still around.  There isn't any other threat like the Shadows.  Really, this might be for the best.  Maybe now child_dragon will have that normal life she's so desired."

            Sudden wild hope arose in my heart.  A normal life.  No more risking my life, risking my pets.  No more having to shoulder the responsibility of immense power.  I was free.

            But I still didn't have Aldrai.

            I cracked my eyes a bit and looked around, careful not to move.  Shi'tri and Shi'eus sat on the edge of the island, their backs turned towards me.  No other element was visible.  The crystal imprisoning Aldrai was a couple feet away, as was the Elemental Spear.  My spear.

            I slowly brought myself to a crouch, preparing myself to lunge.  My feet were no longer hooves now and I could feel the rock beneath my bare feet.  I flexed my toes, hoping the sudden change in bone structure wouldn't throw me off too badly.  The two elements were still talking.  I moved forwards slowly, still in a crouch, and stretched out my hand to grab my spear.  

            It burned.  A shock like electricity shot up my arm and I dropped it with a cry.  Shi'tri and Shi'eus jumped to their feet and turned.  I stood there sheepishly rubbing my wrist with the Elemental Spear at my feet.

            "It's not yours anymore," Shi'eus said, immediately understanding what had happened, "Only the Essence can use it."

            "I know," I replied demurely.

            "Feeling better?" Shi'tri asked, "Probably not.  But we'll get you out of the Forge.  Our power stretches far enough to make sure you reach the tunnel that will lead you back to the Infernal village."

            I stared at the ground.  I'd failed then.  Come all this way and for nothing.  For more than nothing; I had lost the only power that might have saved Aldrai.  Tears built in my eyes and through them I could see a hazy outline of the Spear at my feet.  Wrought by an upheaval in the Forge.  As was Aldrai's prison.  

            I suddenly became aware of a weight at my belt.  I snapped my head up and stared at Shi'tri and Shi'eus.  Then I turned and strode over to the edge of the island and stared down at the magma below.

            "What are you doing?" Shi'eus asked casually.

            "Saving Aldrai," I replied and held up Sabreur's improved firebomb.

            "No!" they both shouted simultaneously and lunged for me.

            But I had already dropped the bomb, straight down, towards the magma.  


	30. Sabreur’s Genius

Sabreur's Genius

            The bomb exploded the instant it touched the boiling magma.  An explosion rocked the cave, sending gouts of magma into the air.  Shi'tri cringed and in an instant all the elements had manifested.

            "What the heck did you let her DO?!" Shi'mio screeched.

            "This could be very bad… keep the island safe everyone," Shi'eus said as the thundering roar of fire and explosives reverberated across the chamber.

            The elements grouped together, watching carefully.  I knelt by the edge and peered over.  The lava was still erupting and falling back from the explosion.  Chunks of rock had started to fall from the ceiling.  

            "Get back," Shi'kit hissed and pulled me away from the edge by one arm.

            Shi'mio was watching the falling rock all around us carefully.

            "Oh no," she breathed as one boulder the size of a car smashed into the wall, "It's ruptured a gas pocket."

            There were various expressions of consternation from the elements.

            "Nice job, Kiddo," Shi'viv snapped, scooping me up in his arms.

            I let out a squawk of protest as he flew up into the air, flying higher until he was up near the furthest most corner of the Forge.  Below us I could see gouts of fire leaping into the air.  The explosion was apparently over.

            "It didn't work," I said sadly, struggling against Shi'viv holding me in the air.

            "The bomb didn't create an upheaval, as you were apparently wanting.  But it did rupture the stone between the Forge and an underground gas pocket.  Now hold still unless you want me to drop you."

            I fell still and waited.  A gout of flame licked near the new break in the wall of the Forge.  Something ignited.

            There was a deafening roar and I screamed, grabbing hold of Shi'viv's shoulder.  I could feel waves of heat rushing over me as explosions reverberated across the Forge.  This was much, much larger than the firebomb.  Everywhere was the sound of splitting and falling rock.  The place shook and gouts of magma shot high into the air, some even nearing us.  I closed my eyes and prayed Shi'viv could keep me safe.

            Suddenly there was a sound like an approaching tornado.  I opened my eyes again and stared at the bottom of the forge.  The magma and water were swirling together at the exact center of the Forge.  Soon wind joined it, and earth, chunks of rock spinning into the mix.  Light and dark danced across the whirling mass of raw power.  Then it exploded upwards in a beam of pure magic, smashing into the island and continuing on to the top of the Forge.  The entire area was shaking as if it would fall apart on top of our heads.  Slowly it died away, slowly the Forge returned to equilibrium.  I was shaking and the adrenalin was pouring through my veins.  The island was still there.  

            Shi'viv flew down to its surface and dropped me at the edge, hurrying forwards to meet with the other elements who had appeared.  Aldrai lay in the center of the island, blinking.  His prison was gone.  The upheaval that had created the crystal had been undone by yet another upheaval.

            Aldrai hissed and leapt into the air, shooting upwards on his Darigan wings.

            "Aldrai!" I cried, standing and watching his flight.

            "Com'n, we've got to stop him!" Shi'eus cried and changed.

            One by one they transformed into the creatures they were when I had fought them so long ago in the realm of the Shadows.  A winged snake of fire.  A water dragon.  A beast of stone.  A lightning bird.  And Shi'tri became an immense shadow wolf and Shi'kly a white lioness.

            They split up, each taking to the air on wings that they either had to begin with or grew.  Aldrai remained in the center of the cavern and watched them come.  Shi'eus neared him first.  Aldrai gestured and a bolt of light magic struck the fire snake head on.  It shook its head and Aldrai gestured again.  The light magic wrapped around the snake and threw it aside.  It fell and vanished into the magma, only to appear a few minutes later.  Aldrai by then was fighting the other elements.

            "Aldrai!  Stop!" I cried.

            I had not just risked everything for my pet to loose him to the magic again.

            He seemed to not notice me.  An explosion from the fighting elements and Aldrai rocked the cavern once again.  I lost my balance and toppled from the edge.  I managed to catch myself on an outcropping stone, my arms straining to hold myself up.  Below me was magma.

            "Aldrai!" I cried again, with true desperation in my voice.

            I looked down and swallowed hard.  I could not fall.  Shi'viv probably wouldn't catch me this time.

            Suddenly there was a flash of light and I felt someone grab my hand.

            "Kiddo… hang on…" a very familiar voice whispered.

            I let go of the rock and held onto Aldrai, my heart filled with joy for the first time since coming underground.  The elements stayed back for a moment, seeing that things had changed now.  That I had truly thrown my lot in with Aldrai.

            "I can't fight them off.  We're getting out of here."

            "Are you in control of the light magic?" I asked.

            He hesitated.

            "Yes.  I am.  Because of you."

            And he flew.  Straight up, his power building around him.  Solid stone parted before him and he soared up out of the Forge, through the earth.  The shifting veil of Aldrai's magic was all around us as he carried us up out of the earth to burst through into brilliant Neopian sunlight.  I gasped as the unaccustomed sunlight burned my eyes.  Aldrai landed then and let go of me.  I wiped away tears and knelt before him.

            "I'm so sorry Kiddo," he said, trying to avoid my glance.

            I gently lifted his chin so that he looked me in the eyes.

            "It's okay.  You're free now."

            "But I don't deserve it… I can hardly remember what I did when I was controlled by sheer magic… but I do remember I hurt people."

            "Aldrai.  Look at me.  I gave up the Essence so that you could be free.  You're not going to wallow in self-pity, alright?  You're going to come home and be my pet from now on."

            He slowly nodded, his own eyes filled with tears.

            "Now, why don't you change back to spotted?" I said with a soft smile.

            He shook his head violently.

            "No. I lost my angel wings because I took my power as a gift, a right, instead of a responsibility.  I will keep the Darigan color to remind myself to never lose control again."       

            He looked at me fiercely, determination shining in his eyes.  It was then I remembered something very important.

            "Sabreur!  And the rest!" I cried, leaping to my feet, "they're still underground."

            Aldrai laughed then.

            "They're coming.  I can sense it.  Just give them a couple days… apparently they've figured out it's time to head to the surface."

            I smiled and scooped up my pet, hugging him close.

            "Welcome home," was all I said. 


	31. “Nobody messes with family”

"Nobody messes with family"

            Sabreur and company did show up after a couple days.  Ragged, tired, and triumphant.

            "You did it!" my brother exclaimed, hugging me hard enough that my ribs felt like they were ready to snap.   

            He wasn't the only one.  A wild party soon ensued at my house with Aldrai at the center.  All he wanted to do was apologize though.  To Terraile, to Un-eairkagh, to everyone.  And especially to Netsuko.

            We let him.  And we forgave him.  And bit by bit Aldrai started to let go of his guilt.  But he did not bring his angel wings back.

            Days passed and turned into weeks.  Life had returned to normal, as normal as it could be that is.  And I was learning how to cope without the Essence.  True, it was hard.  So much had changed.  But every morning I looked in the mirror and saw only my brown hair with a single white streak.  I was just a normal girl.  A normal girl with normal pets.   Part of me missed the power I held.  I ached to fly again, to feel the very life-force of Neopia around me.  But another part was grateful for the freedom.  No more danger.  No more foolish quests.  No more stares from people on the streets.  Neopia was not resting on my shoulders anymore.  I was free.

            Over a month after we left the underground I was going to head over to Sabreur's house.  No particular reason, I just wanted to see my bro.  Finding something to wear each day had become a difficulty as all my shirts had holes in them to allow for wings.  MoonFall had been patching them back up but I really did need to go on a shopping spree.  On that particular day I pulled out a spaghetti strap shirt instead of a tee-shirt.  It was blue and low cut in the back for my wings.  I rarely wore it.

            "I'm heading out!" I called to my pets as I hurried through the living room.

            Aldrai was on the couch, a furry red blotch that still made me do double-takes.  His fearsome appearance was set off by his gentle and understanding eyes.  Something resided behind his gaze, a terrible knowledge and wisdom earned only through suffering.  It was the same look the dragon held when he gave me the crystal, the same eyes Shi'tri held when they stripped me of my power, and the same gaze I saw reflected in the mirror.

            MoonFall gave a strangled gasp as I headed for the door.  I paused.

            "Kiddo…" she said weakly, "What on earth did you do?"

            "Huh?"

            "Your back," Aldrai whispered, a trace of disbelief in his voice, "What happened?"

            "Whadya mean?" I asked, a tad irritated.

            Just then Un-eairkagh showed up.

            "KIDDO GOT A TATTOO!" he howled.

            "WHAT?!" I screeched and ran full speed for the bathroom.

            By twisting around I could see my shoulder blades in the mirror.  Sure enough, two black marks rested exactly where my wings used to be; like little wings etched into my skin.  I hadn't noticed them in all this time simply because I never wear anything other than tee-shirts.

            "Ohmygosh," I gasped.

            "What are they?" MoonFall asked from behind me.

            "I have no idea," I replied, "but could you get me a button-up shirt from my closet?  I'd rather not show these off to the world."

            She nodded and left, returning with a shirt.  I put it on and frowned at the mirror.

            "It seems the Essence has marked me again," I said to myself, "First the white streak and now this."

            "But this is all you will ever have," MoonFall said gently.

            I nodded and again headed for the door.  No one stopped me this time although Un-eairkagh giggled insanely as I passed.

            I drove to Sabreur's house.  I was almost there when a magnificent explosion echoed across the neighborhood.  I slammed on the brakes as a fireball burst out from my brother's house.  I shrieked and leapt out of the car, running pell-mell for it.  Fire was everywhere.  All the windows had blown out and flame engulfed the walls and roof.  My heart was in my throat.  Then I saw my brother staggering away from the blaze with Infernus at his side.  And behind him, just out of the fire's reach, was a teenage boy with fiery red hair and freckles.

            I ran to my brother first.

            "I'm okay, my lab just exploded," Sabreur coughed, "See, that's why I built my house of stone.  It'll be fine once the fire dies out."

            "Alright."

            I turned my attention to Shi'eus.

            "What are you doing here?" I demanded.

            He grinned and pointed to the inferno.

            "I can appear where there is an excess of power.  And Sabreur here…"

            My brother was now staring at the element with a look of confusion.

            "Do I know you…?" he questioned.

            "The fusion claw incident?  Your energy beam?  That force field generator?" Shi'eus remarked with a grin.

            "Ooohhhhhhh yeeeeah… that's right…"

            Shi'eus then turned to me.  Behind him the remains of Sabreur's lab burned merrily.

            "So Kiddo.  We never would have guessed you could pull that off."

            "You underestimate me."

            "So we did.  But then again, we are not human.  We do not know just how powerful a single human soul can be and how strong the ties of love can be."

            "They are powerful enough to save a pet that has been lost."

            He dipped his head in agreement.

            "Yes.  Apparently so."

            "Now…" I said, "What the heck is on my back and how do I get rid of them?"

            My brother looked blankly at me and Shi'eus burst out laughing.

            "Ah yes.  You're stuck with them I'm afraid.  They are magical markings that signify you at one time held the Essence."

            I sighed.  Great.  Just my luck.

            "So what happens now?" 

            "You live a normal life.  Nothing more will happen.  We have the Essence and the Elemental Spear in case they are ever needed again.  But your part is done for now.  We elements will still keep an eye on you though… Shi'tri seems fond of you for some reason.  We can contact you if need be.  Take care of yourself, alright?"

            I looked up and caught his alien eyes.

            "I will."

            "Sabreur, I'll be seeing you again…" he murmured as he bowed and vanished.  

            "I summoned the element of fire," Sabreur said with a note of awe in his voice, "I summoned him and didn't even realize it."

            I didn't reply, just stared into the sky and listened to the approaching sirens of a fire truck.  Just a normal girl.  Just a normal life ahead of me.  And just Neopia's greatest family by my side.


End file.
